Double Duel Dine
by Thetruehero
Summary: Total OC! Main character is mine. Marcus Dine has never been courageous, he has never been ambitious, he has never been clever, but what he has always been is loving and kind. When he arrives to Hogwarts wounds are reopened, enemies are made, and a dangerous beast is unleashed upon the castle that only he can stop! First twenty chapters are just OC and then it merges into book 1
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys so did anyone else just fall in love with Hogwarts Mystery? I'm on year four! Anyway this story takes place about four years after the first fall of Voldemort and the death of the Potters. For those of you reading for my other stories yes I understand that I have started a new story but this idea just would not leave my head I'll update the others as soon as I can. Anyway ON WITH THE SHOW! The two main guys Marcus and Nile are my OC's. Yep this is an OC story people!**

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 **Prologue**

 **Four Years Ago**

"Come on Marcus! Don't tell me I win already!" Nile Grudge said laughing loudly as he and Marcus Dine played wizards chess in Nile's backyard. Marcus simply smirked "Knight to H-5" he said and then quickly followed with a "Checkmate" and a laugh of his own. Nile stared at him shocked as his mind put together the fact that he just lost...again! "Are you kidding me!?" he yelled with another laugh. Marcus joined in and soon they were both on the ground laughing hysterically.

Suddenly the door opened and the two seven year olds looked up to see both of the boys' parents standing there with the Grudges looking grim and the Dines looking just as equally depressed. The two boys dropped their smiles as Mr. Dine walked over and knelt down so he was level with the boys "Nile your parents...they have actually done some bad things. They have to go away for a while, another family is going to take you in okay?" he explained and Nile just looked confused "But why? What did they do?" he asked as he stared at his parents who wouldn't meet his eye.

Marcus looked confused too as he walked up to Mr. Grudge who was like a second father to him "What happened sir? Are you okay?" he asked and Mr. Grudge gave a small smile as he ruffled his hair "Don't worry about it sport! We are going to be just fine!" he promised. Marcus turned to his mother "But you guys are Aurors and your job is to...oh." he said in a barely audible voice as he put the pieces together as did Nile. Nile started crying as he fell to the ground.

Marcus ran over to his best friend but the black haired boy pushed him away "Get away from me! My family is gone and it's your fault! I hate you! I hate you!" Nile screamed loudly as he started pushing his best friend harder and harder until he fell to the ground. Eventually Mr. Grudge pulled his son away as Marcus' father did the same. After that Mrs. Dine left with the Grudges to take them to Azkaban while Mr. Dine took Nile away to the Ministry to give him to his new family and Marcus sat there as he thought about the last thing his best friend ever said to him...

"I hate you!"

 **Present Day**

That memory replayed in his head as he stood at Ollivanders with his father next to him "Don't worry Marcus! I'm right next to you! I always will be!" he said with a smile as Marcus took a deep breath and stepped into the wand shop. He took a very cautious step forward and suddenly an elderly gentleman walked out "Ahhhhh Mr. Dine! I always wondered if I would get to give you your first wand! I remember when your parents came in for their wands. Oh I could already tell they were meant to be! Matching wands they got! Eleven inches, Dragon Heartstring cores, and Elm with moderate flexibility!" Ollivander rambled as he rummaged through the thousands of wands that were in his shop.

After five minutes he pulled out a dusty box and turned back to the still scared child "I have a feeling about this one Mr. Dine!" he said as he handed the boy the box. Marcus took it out and took a deep breath as he gave the wand a slight wave, a large yellow spark shout out and flew around the young child who yelped and jumped away. Mr. Ollicander laughed "Ahhhhh don't worry! When a wand chooses it's master it gives a small signal like that! This is your wand Mr. Dine! Eleven three quarter inches! Maple wood with slight flexibilty and Unicorn hair core! A perfect wand for you!" he said with a laugh.

Mr. Ollivander put a hand on Marcus' shoulder "Don't worry the wand is your greatest ally it will never fail you as long as you never fail it! Just remember to always..." Ollivander was cut off as a few boxes flew off their shelves they turned as another wand box shot out and landed at Marcus' feet. He hesitantly picked up the box and opened it to reveal a wand that looked identical to the other, Ollivander gasped in shock as he picked it up and felt it "This...This is your wand! The wand that chose you has a brother...and they don't want to be apart! Identical in every way! I...I have never seen anything like this!" he said with glee but also with fear.

Marcus gulped as he held both wands up, they felt very heavy but that may have just been his own fear making it seem that way. Ollivander patted him on the back "Nothing to fear young Mr. Dine! Now go on! Your father is waiting!" he said as he pushed the boy out of his shop and into another boy, making them both topple to the ground. When Marcus looked up he was staring into the eyes of his former best friend Nile Grudge "You!" was all he said as he shoved Marcus off of him.

Marcus cut his hand on the brick as he looked up at the eleven year old boy in front of him Nile was much paler and he seemed skinnier than he was but Marcus couldn't tell because it had been so long. Marcus stood "Nile...it's been...years." was all he said and Nile huffed loudly "Yeah last time I saw you you destroyed my family!" he said angrily and Marcus backed up and whimpered "Nile what happened that day wasn't my fault..." he started but he was cut off by the bitter laugh of the dark haired boy in front of him.

"I don't care Marcus! I hate you and your entire family!" he yelled and Marcus shrank back and suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see his father standing behind him "Hello Nile, it has been a long time hasn't it?" he said politely but Nile snorted "Piss off!" he said before he walked down the alley and out of sight. Marcus felt tears threatening to escape but his father patted his shoulder "Don't worry son just like his father he can be very stubborn but can always be reasoned with, just give him time okay son?" he asked and Marcus nodded as he stared down at the two boxes in his hands.

Two wands chose him...

And he didn't feel worthy of even one.

 **I hope this was a good prologue. Please review and be honest on what you think! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Platform 9 3/4.**

"Okay are you ready?" Mr. Dine asked as Marcus pushed his cart down the platform, he came to the pillar that his parents told him about. His mother and father both held his shoulders as they all ran through and came out the other side onto another platform where he saw the large Hogwarts Express blowing its horn ready to depart and head to the magical school in Scotland. Marcus gulped as he saw Nile in the distance talking with a few guys that you could tell were trouble just from looking at them. He whimpered a little and reached down, feeling both his wands that were holstered on either side of his hip, for some reason he felt slightly relieved that he had them.

The whistle of the train rang again and his parents pulled him into a big hug "Remember son no matter what house you are put into we are so proud of you! Hufflepuff though just remember that!" his father said with a grin. Mrs. Dine slapped him upside the head "Sweetie stop trying to persuade our son! It's his choice!" she said before looking at her son and mouthing the word "Griffyndor!" over and over again. The couple laughed together before hugging their son again and helping him onto the train "We love you son!" they said together.

And then the train started moving.

 **Ten Minutes Later.**

Marcus sat down in an empty booth, he had finally gotten his stuff stored away and found an empty booth so he didn't embarrass himself like he always did. Suddenly he heard a knock, he looked up and saw a boy and a girl about his age "Hi! Mind if we sit here? The booths are either full or the people are so rude!" he asked politely and Marcus nodded before opening the door some more to let them in. When they sat down they both held out their hands "I'm Samuel!" the boy said "And I'm Karen!" the girl said before they both said in unison "We're the Milligan twins!" to a shocked Marcus who took their hands "Marcus Dine." he simply said.

The twins both smiled and Marcus could see a lot of similarities between them, they both had curly black hair, chiseled features, dimpled smiles, and electric blue eyes. Sam frowned "Dine...wait are your parents Seamus and Amelia Dine? The Aurors?" he asked and Marcus nodded sheepishly. Sam and Karen looked at each other before leaning forward "Have you seen what they do?! Have you ever seen Death Eaters?! Did they kill people?!" they both bombarded him with questions and Marcus didn't know where to start.

After a few minutes Marcus held up his hand "Please stop, I honestly have no idea they don't tell me anything. Although I have met Death Eaters before." he said and the twins smiled "Whoa! That's the coolest thing ever!" they said and Marcus gave a small smile. Karen looked at Marcus quizzically "First year?" she asked and he nodded again, Sam interjected "Us too! I think that's why those third years were being mean to us." he said and Karen rolled her eyes "Honestly the most obvious things go in one ear and out the other. They were being mean because our parents are muggles!" she explained and Sam frowned in confusion "Is that what mudblood meant?" he asked and she nodded.

Marcus gasped "They called you mudbloods?!" he asked and they both nodded before Sam looked out of the booth "That's them right there." he said and Marcus looked down the car and saw two boys and a girl about fourteen walking towards their booth. Marcus had never been brave but he suddenly felt the urge to do something risky, he held his fingers to his mouth to tell the twins to be quiet as he took out both his wands. As the group of third years walked by Marcus, who had studied spells with his parents before, pointed one wand in front of the door and whispered under his breath _"Aberto"_ and the door swung open slamming one of them in the face.

As the boy fell the other ran to his side and while he was doing that the girl was backing up, no one saw Marcus point his wands, one at the kneeling boy and the other at a door that the girl was backing into. He again whispered under his breath _"Aberto...Ventus"_ and a door opened, hitting the girl and sending her to her knees and a jet of wind pushed the second boy into the girl sending them both sprawling to the ground. Marcus put his wands away with a smile as the three students got up and ran down the car screaming in confusion.

The Milligan twins looked at him in amazement "That was awesome!" they said and started laughing, eventually Marcus started laughing too. That was cut short when their was a knock on the door, the trio looked up to see a teenager about thirteen years old, he had short cropped dirty blonde hair and emerald green eyes "That was pretty brave dude." he said in an American accent. It took Marcus a few seconds to realize he was asking if he could sit down with them, to which he nodded reluctantly.

The boy sat down next to Marcus and stared at him before holding out his hand "Daniel Barnes. Second Year. Slytherin." he said with a kind smile. Marcus took it with fear "You won't tell on me will you?" he asked nervously and Dan laughed loudly before shaking his head "No way dude! That was amazing! I'm glad you did that, those three caused chaos throughout the school last year and ruined my first year there, they gunned for me a lot because I'm American and not a 'Pure Blood' like most Slytherins." he explained. Marcus smiled "Glad I could help!" he said happily, that was when Daniel looked down "Now what I want to know is why do you have two wands?!" he asked and that's when the twins saw it too.

Marcus looked down at his wands as Dan introduced himself to the twins, Marcus then explained what had happened at Ollivanders and the three students in front of him just looked at him shocked "Whoa...I just thought maybe you already won a duel or something. Man that's awesome!" he said with a large grin. Marcus gave a small chuckle as Daniel clapped his hands "Well let me tell you something Marcus and and twins! Anyone who has the guts to do that to a bunch of third year Slytherins is definitely a friend of mine!" he said happily and the twins nodded in agreement. Marcus smiled happily...

Maybe this year wasn't going to be too bad!

 **Please review I'll try to update soon! LOVE YOU ALL! BYYYYYYYEEEEEEE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys please review what you think because I want to get better at writing and I want to know if there is anything that can be done to make this story better at all.**

 **Later that night**

"Okay everyone! Follow me!" an unnaturally large man yelled as everyone stepped off the train wearing their robes. Marcus whimpered as he saw the large man but Daniel snickered and bumped his shoulder "That's Hagrid. He's the Game Keeper of Hogwarts and one of the nicest guys you will ever meet!" he explained and Marcus nodded before closing the door behind them. He and Daniel quickly caught up with the twins and the four walked together down the street until they came to a bunch of boats.

"Alright everyone step in." Hagrid said and Daniel tapped his friends shoulders "I'm not going in the boats I'll catch up with you guys later!" he said before he walked off with more students who were going on carriages. The trio stepped into a boat and then suddenly it started to move by itself, Marcus yelped before he grabbed a lantern and held it as the boat lurched forward in the water. Marcus realized he must look idiotic, being all scared when he just bravely stood up to three Slytherins a few hours before.

Right now he was absolutely terrified.

 **Hogwarts School**

They all filed together as they walked up the stairs that, to Marcus, seemed to go one forever with each step increasing his heart rate. They finally reached the top of the stairs where they met a woman that could only be Minerva Mcgonagall, Deputy Headmaster and Head of Gryffindor House. Once all of the first years were gathered in front of her she revealed a scroll from her elegant robe "Now, we shall all walk through these doors and we shall use the Sorting Hat to decide which house you will be assigned to for the remaining years.

After that she turned and the massive gathering of First Years followed her through the doors into a very large banquet hall where even more students were gathered. Marcus saw the Slytherin table and he quickly noticed Daniel, who was being teased and pushed around by the same three students Marcus had messed with on the train. Marcus felt anger rising in his stomach as he saw his friend ask them to stop but they simply mocked him and teased him even more.

Marcus looked around and saw the four massive tables as they walked, he saw Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff tables filled with students all talking and looking at them. Marcus felt self conscious as they continued walking down the large room and he was running the houses through his head, yet he had no idea which house he was going to be put into.

Eventually they all stopped at the front of the room where an old hat sat on a stool in front of them. Mcgonagall opened the scroll as she lifted the hat "Samuel Milligan!" she called out, the dark haired boy gulped as he walked up and sat down, she placed the hat on his head and nothing happened. Suddenly it spoke "Ahhh yes, a simple mind but full of wonder. HUFFLEPUFF!" it shouted and Sam gave a large grin as the table on the far right cheered. Sam walked over to the table where the students greeted him and patted his back.

After that a few more students came up and Marcus was just constantly running through his mind what house he would be put into, he knew the hat took his choice into consideration but the only problem was, which house did he choose? As he was thinking the professor yelled "Karen Millegan!" and the twin sister walked up and sat down just as the hat hit her head. The hat chuckled "Yes I can see bravery and strength in you! GRYFFINDOR!" it shouted.

Marcus looked over and saw Sam looking confused as his twin didn't sit at the same table as he was at but Karen looked ecstatic as she ran over and sat down at the table of cheering students. After that he completely zoned out, where should he go?! Slytherin? Daniel was kind but he knew about Slytherin heck You-know-who was a Slytherin and he didn't think he could take that much ridicule for seven years. Ravenclaw? He was kind of smart yes but he was no Ravenclaw that was for sure. Gryffindor? He was _not_ brave in the slightest sure he stood up to those three students but he was not in any sense of the word brave.

"Nile Grudge!" she yelled.

Marcus shot his head up as his former friend sat down on the chair, before the hat even touched his head "SLYTHERIN!" it shouted and Nile smiled as he walked over and sat down at the table on the far left. Marcus gulped as suddenly he heard "Marcus Dine!" ring throughout the room. The room went silent as his heart rate shot to ten thousand beats per minute, he slowly made his way up to the stool and sat down, he felt the old musky hat touch his head and suddenly the loud voice rang out.

"Hmmm interesting! I can see a mixture of all! You would do so well in Slytherin oh yes. How about Gryffindor I can see bravery in you, so much bravery and yet barely used!" the hat stated and Marcus gulped loudly as the hat swayed back and forth as he mentioned each house, he didn't know how he came to the conclusion but Marcus closed his eyes and chose his house "Ah yes! Perfect for you! You will do nicely there!" the hat stated loudly before opening his mouth once again...

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

 **Heyyyyy it's me again! Please review what you think because I really want to know what you think! Love you guys! BYYYYYYEEEEEEE!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Great Hall**

"Same house!" Samuel said happily as Marcus sat down next to him and smiled before giving him a high five. Sam was happy for a couple seconds before he frowned "But...Karen?" he said before he stood and looked for his twin sister. Marcus grabbed his arm "She's in Gryffindor House. You know that right?" he asked and Sam looked confused for a second before shrugging and started a conversation with a fourth year Hufflepuff, Marcus gave a small smile before he looked across the hall and saw Nile staring right at him.

After a few seconds Nile made the finger along his neck gesture with a grin, Marcus gulped as he saw the two Slytherins he was hanging with earlier, they laughed and pointed at him. Marcus sunk in his seat before he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned and he lost the ability to speak completely. Behind him was a girl with long black hair that was curled at the ends, her eyes were a beautiful sapphire that he seemed to be lost in as the girl snapped her fingers in front of him.

"Huh? What?" he stuttered out before the girl gave a small chuckle, "I was just asking if anyone was sitting there? Next to you?" she asked and Marcus turned to see the empty spot next to him. After a few seconds he shook his head "All yours. I mean...if you want it." he said hesitantly and the girl giggled before she sat down next to him "I'm Anna Trace, second year Hufflepuff." she said holding her hand out and he took it much more casually now "Marcus Dine." he said. Anna smiled "Oh I know, I heard your name get called for the hat." she explained and Marcus blushed a little.

After around a half hour all the houses were dismissed back to their dormitories, all of the Hufflepuffs followed their Prefects, Marcus walk slowly and somehow Anna ended up right next to him and Sam on his other side. They walked down and down the seemingly endless stairs until they reached a dark corridor, that's when the Prefect turned off from the kitchen and stood in front of a large stack of barrels. The Prefect turned and placed his hand on one of the barrels "This is our Common Room entrance, you tap this barrel to the rhythm of 'Helga Hufflepuff' and the door will open. Tap the wrong barrel or the wrong rhythm and you'll be drenched so be careful." the Prefect said as he tapped on the barrel.

A passageway was revealed from the barrel and all of the students followed the Prefect into the Common Room. Once they were all gathered in the room the door closed and Marcus was all the way in the back with his friends but he could see that the room was beautiful, it had amazing smelling plants and much of the furniture looked like it was hand carved, a nice fire was roaring in the mantle that had a picture of Helga Hufflepuff hanging above it.

The Prefect stood in front of the fireplace and turned to the students "Alright boys dormitories are on the left and up and the stairs. Girls are to your right and up the stairs everyone understand? If you have a question let me know okay?" he said and everyone nodded before he left the Common Room. Marcus saw a soft couch to his left in the corner and plopped down right in the middle and sighed in relief, then Anna and Sam sat down on his sides "So...what classes do you have tomorrow?" Anna asked and Marcus thought for a second before he answered "Broom flying, Potions, and Transfiguration." he said with a smile as he snuggled into the couch.

Anna squealed "We have Potions and Transfiguration together!" she said happily and Sam laughed "And I have the same schedule as you!" he said with a large grin. Marcus smiled before he heard a familiar sound...

 _WOOF_

Marcus perked up as the massive dog knocked a bunch of students over and ran to his master and started slobbering all over him "Okay down boy! Down!" he yelled and the dog sat down on Marcus's lap and curled up, making Marcus lose all feeling in his legs. Sam and Anna were dumbfounded at the massive ball of fur that was laying in his lap "Um...That's a dog Marcus." Anna said and Marcus nodded "Special request, Dumbledore approved it weeks back. I can't leave my little Streaks at home! He needs my attention!" Marcus explained.

Sam was completely confused "Little?! That's a full grown St. Bernard Marcus!" he shouted and Marcus laughed again "He's still a baby to me! Only a year old but he's such a good boy aren't you?!" he said in a soothing voice that made Streaks smile and pant excitedly before placing his head on Sams lap and letting out a content huff. Sam was hesitant but eventually started petting the dogs massive head "He lives for attention, he also now sees both of you as friends so if anything happens when he's around trust me you are protected. Streaks is viciously loyal to my friends and family and my parents put an age slowing charm on him so he's gonna be around for a long time!" Marcus explained before hugging the massive dog tightly.

Suddenly the Prefect walked back in "DINE! Dogs are not allowed in Hogwarts!" he yelled and then they heard a growl, Streaks was baring his fangs and started barking at the Prefect which made him back up. Marcus pet his dog until he calmed down, then the First Year hopped off the couch and the dog instantly took his place and stretched himself across the entire couch, crushing both Anna and Sams legs which only made them laugh. Marcus explained the situation to his Prefect and he huffed before nodding "I can't go against Dumbledore, that doesn't mean I have to like it though." he said and the Prefect started to walk away.

Suddenly Marcus had a brilliant idea "How about this! All the students look after him and in return he protects the Common Room when I'm not with him? If anyone who isn't a professor or Hufflepuff comes in trust me on this that Streaks will stop them!" he proposed. The Prefect pondered this for a second before smiling "Since our only defense is being drenched in vinegar a massive dog would probably be a great way to keep out intruders. Alright! You got yourself a deal Marcus!" he said as they shook hands.

As the Prefect walked away Marcus turned and saw Sam and Anna scratching Streaks and he was absolutely loving it, he was on his back with his tongue out enjoying the free belly rub and Marcus couldn't help but laugh...

He felt right at home!

 **I know I know I still need to update Timeless I'm trying I really am! Please review! BYYYYYYYEEEEEE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Practice Courtyard**

Marcus held his broom tightly as he and Sam stood in a line, he was a little worried about leaving Streaks alone in the Common Room with so much furniture but he didn't have to think about that for long before class started. Madame Hooch walked out and even without her yellow eyes Marcus was a little intimidated by her rather scary appearance "Now we will simply be learning how to bring your broom to you upon command alright? No flying!" she shouted.

She told them how to bring their brooms up and they all followed her directions, as soon as everyone started saying "UP" the brooms started going crazy, swinging around as everyone continued to repeat the single word. Sam got his broom on the first try, Marcus looked over as he spoke again and he turned back to see a wooden pole shooting towards his face...

Then everything went black.

 **Hospital Wing**

"Hey, he's coming to!" a male voice rang out, Marcus's vision cleared and two figures came into view "Daniel? Anna?" he croaked before he was hit with a splitting headache. Daniel winced "Yeah, you are going to be in pain for a while man, broom hit you right in the nose and broke it completely. Madame Pomfrey used Episkey to fix it but...you got a lot of blood on your robe." Daniel explained as he picked up a bloody black and yellow robe.

Marcus groaned "Day one and I ruined my uniform! Fantastic!" he yelled in annoyance, Anna chuckled "Stop griping!" she said playfully hitting his shoulder "I got you a new one!" she said as she revealed a second robe and dropped it on his bed. After Marcus got changed he walked out of the Infirmary with a thank you directed to Madame Pomfrey who waved them goodbye "Now we got to get to Potions before Snape kills us!" Anna stated "I'll see you guys in Transfiguration class!" Daniel said as he ran down the hallway and out of sight.

 **Potions**

Marcus and Anna ran and made it into the classroom mere seconds before Severus Snape entered "Take your seat! Now!" he said sternly. Marcus rushed to his seat next to Sam, with Anna sitting in the one to his right "I thought he was Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Sam asked loudly and Snape gave them a death stare that made Marcus' blood freeze. As soon as everyone was seated Professor Snape began talking about Flubberworm Mucos and potions that can heal any scars and stop bleeding.

The entire hour that Marcus was in that class he took diligent notes and kept his head down, he did not want Professor Snape breathing down his neck all semester. Once the hour was up Marcus put his things away "Mr. Dine...you will stay here. We need to talk!" the Professor snapped which made Marcus gulp loudly. Once everyone was out of the room Snape waved his wand and the door slammed shut, "I heard you brought your dog to Hogwarts! I trust you know that dogs are strictly forbidden to keep at this school!" he said menacingly.

Marcus gulped again before he found the courage to open his mouth "S-Special request, my dog is here because Dumbledore allowed it." he said although he did not reveal the entire truth knowing he did not want Snape having that knowledge. Snape huffed in annoyance before waving his hand and the door opened again "Leave my sight right now!" he said and Marcus practically tripped over himself trying to get out of the classroom.

 **Transfiguration**

Marcus walked into the classroom still shaking from Snape, his stare alone scared Marcus, knowing that he was now on the professors radar scared him even more. He walked in and saw Sam and Anna sitting next to each deep in conversation, Marcus looked around and saw Daniel waving him over in the back of class. He walked over to the Slytherin boy and sat next to him "How was your first potions class?" he asked and Marcus shivered "Snape is absolutely terrifying!" he said and Daniel laughed loudly.

After a few minutes Professor Mcgonagall walked in "Sit students I have a special lesson here for you today!" she said excitedly. They all took their seats and suddenly in front of everyone were statues of different shapes and sizes. The professor tapped on the desk to get the students attention "We shall be learning how to turn these statues into birds! Now I want everyone to watch closely." she said as she pointed to a statue on her desk " _Avifors_ " and suddenly the statue turned into a bird and flew around the room.

Mcgonagall turned back to the students "Alright everyone try it and be careful and precise!" she shouted, everyone started casting the spells and it seemed to work for a handful of spells. Marcus picked up both his wands and pointed them at the statue " _Avifors_ " he said and suddenly the statue began to rumble violently. Mcgonagall ran over and pulled Marcus and Dan away "What happened?" she asked and Marcus just shook his head "I...I just cast the spell with my wands! Here my dad taught me the untransfiguration spell!" he said and pushed past the teacher despite her protests.

Marcus pointed his wands at the statue and yelled " _Reparifarge!_ " and the statue stopped, Marcus smiled before he noticed the statue started to crack and as he examined it he realized what was happening. Mcgonagall started to grab him but it was too late...

The statue exploded into thousands of shards of sharp rock...

Then everything went black.

 **Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Unknown**

"We must send it now!" a voice said in the darkness, a voice that Marcus did not recognize. Marcus was in an inky blackness and could not see anything but he could hear the voices as clear as day as if they were right next to him. The voices continued their conversation "We shall send it soon but we must pick the perfect time! If we are to wipe out the Order then we must first have control! Our intel says some of the Order members are at the school, we will send our spies in to eliminate them before we make our move." another voice explained.

Marcus shot up in a sweat, his eyes wild and his breathing rapid and deep. He looked around, he was in the Hospital Wing, it was dark out it was most likely late at night. He looked around and saw that he was the only person in the room and then he heard footsteps approaching the room. He quickly laid down and rolled over so he could just see the doorway and three figures walked into the room in haste. He recognized Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, and Pomfrey all approaching him he shut his eyes so they didn't see he was awake.

The three adults stood over him as they spoke "Will he be alright Pomfrey?" Dumbledore asked and Marcus cracked one eye open and saw Pomfrey nodding "His bones are set and his bleeding and cuts are healed but I still cannot figure out how this all happened Minerva." she asked the Transfiguration professor. Mcgonagall turned to them before looking back at Marcus "It was an accident, I completely forgot that he was in possession of two wands, two wands together can have a devastating effect when used together, a simple spell can be catastrophic. How can we teach him? Clearly he needs to learn the spells but we can't have him use just one wand we need them to be able to cast spells with full potential and in this case with Mr. Dine he needs to cast spells with two wands." Mcgonagall ranted.

Marcus could feel a tear falling down his cheek, he wanted to learn magic more than anything but he couldn't now because his wands were too destructive. Suddenly Dumbledore cleared his throat "I think I may have a solution to this problem! Isn't Professor Flitwick well trained with water charms which take a lot of magic to produce? Two wands may help with this. Professor Sprout I hear is also well gifted in Herbology charms. Starting tomorrow I want Marcus assigned with Flitwick and Sprout to train him at the Black Lake and in the Courtyards." Dumbledore stated.

Marcus couldn't help himself he shot up and pulled Dumbledore into a hug "T-Thank you!" he said softly as the Headmaster chuckled and ruffled his hair "Get some rest Mr. Dine." he simply said and Marcus nodded before he laid back in bed as the professors left the room. Marcus closed his eyes with a grin across his face that not only was he going to continue learning magic but he was personally going to be trained by two Heads of House that were two of the best teachers in the school.

Marcus fell into a dreamless slumber soon after.

 **The Next Morning.**

Marcus woke up early the next morning still smiling, he figured that he wasn't going to have class today because his schedule was being changed so he dressed casually, sneakers, blue jeans, and a yellow Hufflepuff sweater. He walked down to the kitchens and walked into the common room "MARCUS!" a voice yelled and he was tackled in a hug by Anna and Sam before they were all knocked over by the massive dog that barked excitedly.

After they were able to get Streaks off of them they all sat down "I thought we lost you! After the explosion we thought we'd never see you again!" Anna said and Marcus smiled "How long was I gone?" he asked curiously and Sam started counting with his fingers "Five days. Anna wouldn't leave your side for anything even for the fire!" he stated and Marcus looked at Anna before turning back to Sam "Fire?!" he asked. Sam blushed "I thought _Incendio_ was like a light charm...I set most of the room on fire." he said sheepishly.

Streaks let out a loud whimper before laying down on the couch and happily fell asleep, it wasn't long before he started snoring so loudly the room vibrated. Anna looked at Streaks curiously "Why do you have a dog? What was the special request?" she asked. Marcus sighed "Promise you won't laugh?" he asked and they nodded, Marcus sighed again "After me and Nile Grudge became enemies my parents thought I'd never make friends again and they were kind of right I was very shy and very bad at making friends so one day I woke up and Streaks was lying in my bed snoring as loud as he is now. Ever since then we have been inseperable which was the special request, my parents are scared that without Streaks I'll develop severe anxiety." he explained.

Sam and Anna both stared at him before they pulled him into another hug "Well then it's a good thing you already made some friends after the request because me and Streaks have been having so much fun together haven't we boy!" Anna said and Streaks barked loudly with his tail wagging furiously. Sam and Marcus both laughed when suddenly an official envelope flew through the window and landed on his lap, he opened it and smiled widely "My new schedule!" he said and both Anna and Sam frowned "What do you mean?" they both asked.

Marcus realized they didn't know and quickly explained what had happened in the Hospital Wing, he also told them about the dream he had. Sam was upset that they weren't going to have class together but Anna was more upset over the dream "The Order?! What could that mean?" she asked and Marcus shook his head "No idea I was hoping you guys might now or something." he said. The two Hufflepuffs shook their heads and Marcus sighed in defeat but it didn't stay that way for long as Streaks ran over and started licking him until he smiled again.

Marcus pulled out both of his wands and stared at them...

Unable to hold his excitement for class!

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	7. Chapter 7

**The Black Lake**

"Concentrate Mr. Dine!" Flitwick said as Marcus held both his wand out to the massive expanse of water. Marcus concentrated hard and focused on the water in front of him, he shouted the spell and suddenly the water shook, a large sphere of water rose from the lake. Marcus started laughing "I...I did it!" he said and Flitwick started chuckling "Well done Mr. Dine! Remember that water charms are exceptionally difficult to cast so with your wands together they can be cast with ease!" he explained and Marcus nodded and broke the water spell.

After that Flitwick walked a ways down the beach and then turned "Now, I have an idea Mr. Dine, do you remember the jinx spell I taught you last week?" he asked and Marcus nodded. Flitwick took out his wand "I want you to point one wand at me and cast it alright?" he asked and Marcus gasped "No need to be alarmed I assure you this is still part of your lesson!" he yelled and Marcus gulped. Marcus hesitantly raised his right hand at the professor and shouted _"Expelliarmus!"_ and a bolt of light fired towards Flitwick.

The professor without hesitation swung his wand and the spell was deflected to a nearby tree. Marcus stood dumbfounded as he stared at the tree that had a black mark on the trunk now, Flitwick walked back as he held his wand up "That was the protection charm Protego. I shall teach it to you Mr. Dine." he said and Marcus backed up "What? Why me? That seems a little advanced for a first year don't you think Professor?" he said cautiously but Flitwick held up his hand "That is true but that was before I looked at your history." he explained and Marcus frowned in confusion.

Flitwick sat down on a rock bed and Marcus joined him "We always look into the home life of students to make sure they are doing well. When we looked into yours we found some interesting things. High IQ and yet you rarely show it, true passion for spells I hear you begged your father to teach you some basic charms otherwise you would not have pulled that stunt on the train and yes we know about that Mr. Dine. I also know that you have a deep understanding of the Dark Arts because your parents are Aurors." he explained to the Hufflepuff who basically stopped breathing when he heard they knew about the train.

Flitwick saw the look of fear on his face and chuckled "Nothing to worry about to be perfectly honest Professor Snape was the only one that wanted to kick you out and even he had to suppress a smile when he heard what you did." he explained and Marcus let out a sigh of relief. Flitwick stood up and looked up at the student "But I digress, you are an exceptional student Mr. Dine. Here you have a basic understanding of blocking spells correct? Your mother taught them to you yes?" he asked and Marcus nodded.

Flitwick walked over to the shore "Here's what we shall do, I will cast the disarming charm and you are to block it alright?" he asked and Marcus shook his head "I don't think I can do that Professor Flitwick, I mean yes I know the spell but I don't think I can cast it." he said as he scratched the back of his head nervously. Flitwick smiled "Nonsense, if you are not able to cast it then no harm done! We will simply try tomorrow." he said as they both held their wands up "So is this like a duel professor?" he asked and the short professor thought for a moment "If you like." he simply said before they pointed their wands.

As the teacher cast the spell everything seemed to move in slow motion as the light shot towards Marcus _"Protego!"_ he shouted and as he deflected the spell something clicked in his brain, he had _two_ wands. The second the spell was being deflected he pointed his other wand next to the professor _"Expelliarmus!"_ he yelled and the bolt of light hit the rocks nearby. Flitwick backed up in shock "Wha...Dear me Mr. Dine! That was most impressive! Never would I have imagined that you could fight as well as block at the same time! Well done indeed!" he said with a large grin.

Marcus smiled as he lowered his wands "That felt great actually, like for once it felt like my wands and I were working together!" he said happily as he put the two wands into his robes. Professor Flitwick and him walked along the shoreline "Why don't you ever apply yourself Mr. Dine? Like I said before you have a high IQ and yet you never showed it. Why is this?" he asked and Marcus suddenly felt guarded again. After a few more steps Marcus finally opened his mouth to speak "When I was a kid all I wanted to do was try to be a professor, specifically here at Hogwarts. I read every book I could get my hands on, studied spells, and teaching methods and yet after I lost my friend Nile Grudge...I sort of just fell apart. I stayed silent and didn't do much. Losing a friend is hard but losing your best friend is even harder." Marcus explained sadly.

Flitwick nodded in understanding "Everyone has lost someone Mr. Dine, we must not dwell on the past and continue moving into the future. Focus on your classes, start reading again! I can give you some books that you may enjoy. I'll even talk to the Headmaster to see if we can start a Dueling Club since you seem to be very well trained in it already. You can teach some others if you want, with a professors supervision of course." Flitwick explained.

Marcus smiled again as they walked up the path to head back to Hogwarts...

He was ready to see Professor Sprout!

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	8. Chapter 8

**Greenhouse**

"Now Mr. Dine while I do not usually teach this to first years you are not a usual first year!" Professor Sprout said as they walked through the greenhouse. Sprout opened a door and a massive bundle of vines shot out and started grabbing everything it could. Marcus jumped away but his head of house stopped him from running away "This is called Devils Snare. We are expecting a very important package to be delivered to the school next year and Dumbledore has asked me to provide this Devils Snare as one of the precautions." she explained to him.

Marcus looked at the bundle of vines and then back at his professor "So will the package be in this room here?" he asked quizzically and Professor Sprout chuckled "No no we will be moving it through the castle come summer. So that way no students are caught in it. What we are going to learn is Incendio, the Fire-Making spell, that way while I bring the Devils Snare through the castle you can cast it on any stray tentacles that try to break free alright?" she said and Marcus nodded eagerly, ready to learn.

Sprout smiled "You don't seem very worried about this, generally students are scared when I say we are going to conjure fire." she said and Marcus laughed "I'm just happy that I get to learn magic!" he explained and Professor Sprout laughed with him...

"Now shall we begin?"

 **Later That Night**

Marcus walked down the stairs towards the kitchens, he had a late dinner and it was almost curfew but as he was about to go into the common room he heard sniffling. He peered around the corner and saw Daniel, he was sitting on a bench alone silently crying, Marcus could see tears hit the ground as he continued to cry. Marcus quickly ran over "Dan? What's wrong?" he asked and the Slytherin looked up and his eyes were red "I...I miss home!" he said softly.

Marcus grabbed Dans arm and they ran to the Hufflepuff common room "Stay right here! Don't think about going back to your room okay?!" he asked sternly and Dan nodded as he sniffled. Marcus ran in and found Anna and Sam petting Streaks, "Anna I need your help!" he said quickly and grabbed her hand without thinking and dragged her out of the room. Dan was sitting on the ground and Marcus quickly explained the situation, Anna nodded "I know just what to do!" she said and ran into the kitchens.

Marcus sat down next to him "Okay Dan, let it out." he said and Daniel just collapsed into his arms "I...I can't take it here! I just want to go home!" he said sadly as tears streamed down his cheeks. Marcus patted his back as he cried "Why do you want to go home?" he asked softly. Dan sighed heavily "Everyone is just so mean because I'm american and because my mother is a muggle." he explained and Marcus clenched his jaw in anger "Which Slytherins said this?!" he asked angrily and Dan looked at him confused "Slytherins? No these were Gryffindors. All the Second and Third years have been reassuring and comforting to me." he said and that just made Marcus madder.

Anna came running towards them her arms filled with pastries and desserts "Okay, here try this! One of the House Elves taught me the recipe! It inflicts feelings of warmth and comfort." she said as she handed a bread roll that smelled like cinnamon. Dan took a big bite and suddenly he smiled and sighed contently "Thanks guys!" he said dreamily, Marcus was still furious at what Dan told him, he was never one for stereotypes but he like everyone else immediately figured that the person bullying someone was a Slytherin when in fact it was Gryffindor.

Marcus stood up and helped his two friends up "Dan do you remember the Gryffindors that made fun of you?" he asked calmly and Dan looked at him with a small smile "Don't know their names but they are first years and they are that group that always hangs out in the main courtyard? There is like three of them, you can't miss them they seem to bully everyone that passes by them." he explained before giving a big yawn. Anna and Marcus both yawned as well "Good night guys, thanks for talking with me. Feels good to have friends like you!" he said before walking down the hall and out of sight.

Marcus and Anna went into the common room and they all went to bed but Marcus was awake for most of the night, he was going to teach those bullies a lesson tomorrow.

 **The Next Day**

Marcus walked out of the courtyard with Anna and Sam flanking him and Streaks walking next to him "He said they are in a group...and I'm guessing that's them." Anna said as she pointed to a group of Gryffindors that were shoving each other around and laughing. Marcus didn't think as he walked over to them "HEY!" he shouted and all three boys turned to him "Can I help you yellow?" one of the boys, clearly the leader, asked. Marcus glared at them "I heard you guys have been bullying Daniel Barnes, you guys are going to stop alright?!" he asked but it came out as more of an order.

The leader laughed "He doesn't belong here! None of these half bloods do!" he said with a grin, Marcus became more and more angry "You are done bullying him or you will have me to deal with!" Marcus threatened. After that he walked away and he could hear the boys laughing "Oh I've been wanting to do this all day! _EXPELLIARMUS!_ " he shouted and Marcus whirled around with his wands out and blocked it. All three boys started shouting the spell at him and Marcus kept blocking with one wand and then he took the other and fired through his shield, each shot hitting it's mark.

In a matter of seconds all three boys were on the ground groaning, Marcus walked over to the leader who started to get up but Streaks put one massive paw on his chest and growled. Marcus knelt down next to him "Now what are not going to do ever again?" he asked and the leader huffed "Bully Danny Barnes!" he spat and Marcus chuckled before shaking his head "Nope! you aren't going to bully anyone ever!" he yelled and suddenly a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Marcus looked up with a smile but it soon turned into a look of horror as he saw who was standing behind him...

"P-Professor Snape!"

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	9. Chapter 9

**Headmasters Office**

"Headmaster, Mr. Dine here was caught dueling and harming three students out in the courtyard! I demand that he be expelled immediately!" Snape said as he held Marcus by the arm. Dumbledore and Sprout were standing in front of them and while Sprout did not look angry she looked very disappointed. Marcus gulped hard and before anyone could say anything the door opened and Professor Flitwick walked in with Anna, Sam, and Daniel behind him "Professor Dumbledore wait just a minute!" Daniel said as they all approached them.

Dumbledore still had not said anything but Sprout stepped forward "Mr. Millegan and Ms. Trace why are you here? The same for you Mr. Barnes?" she asked and the three students stepped forward "Professor Dumbledore you don't know the full story!" Daniel said with Anna and Sam nodding "Those Gryffindors were bullying me sir! They were calling me a mudblood and even worse things. Saying I didn't belong and should leave the school because I'm such a disgrace. Marcus was defending me! They attacked him first." Daniel explained.

Dumbledore listened intently as Anna and Sam recounted what had happened in the courtyard, after they were done Snape scoffed loudly "Oh please! Headmaster he has broken the rules and should be removed from the grounds and sent home!" he demanded but Dumbledore held up his hand "Severus, we shall speak to these Gryffindors and then we shall decide alright? In the meantime fifty points will be taken from Hufflepuff until we know everything." he said and with that he waved his hand and Snape left angrily grumbling to himself.

Marcus rubbed his arm and then straightened as Sprout walked by him "I hope you are telling the truth Mr. Dine." was all she said before she left the room. Marcus sighed heavily as he left with his friends, "Don't worry Marcus they won't get away with this!" Anna said and Sam nodded in agreement. Daniel pulled Marcus aside and waved for their friends to keep going "Listen those guys actually found me after the duel and apologized. So I guess I want to say...thank you Marcus!" he said happily with tears in his eyes as he hugged the life out of the First Year student.

Marcus hugged back "Anything for my friends!" he said happily, Dan smiled as they pulled away and the duo ran up to meet their friends.

 **That Night**

Marcus was sweating heavily as he walked into the greenhouse and Professor Sprout was watering Mandrakes before she looked up at him. She put her watering can down and motioned for the chair that was against the wall, they both sat down and Sprout waved her wand, and a cup of tea floated towards the two of them. Marcus sipped hesitantly before Sprout spoke "The three Gryffindors admitted to everything, after Snape threatened to turn them into mice and put them in the owl cages. The points have been restored and I am giving you twenty more for standing up for your friends. Flitwick told me to give you another twenty for dueling three students at once and winning." Sprout explained and Marcus could not hold in a laugh as she spoke.

He was grinning like a madman, he had gotten his points back and earned forty more! He turned his attention back to his head of house, "Now this was lucky of you okay? It was because of my testimony and because of your friends that we were able to figure this out. You have to be very careful from now on okay? Professor Snape did not look happy and I'm sure he will be trying very hard to find some way to expel you. I was told not to tell you this but you are one of my favorite students and I want you to succeed." she explained and that made Marcus smile even wider.

After the tea Professor Sprout handed him something from under her robes, it was a neatly wrapped gift "This is for Christmas, a little gift for you for doing so well this semester, Hagrid actually found it and he saw how well you take care of and how much you love your dog he said that you should have it. You can open it now if you want, better now then three weeks from now considering what it is." she said. Marcus opened the gift carefully and it revealed a small shaking box, he opened it up and a small creature was crawling around inside "Is that a..." Marcus didn't even finish he was too shocked by the gift.

Professor Sprout laughed "Yes Marcus! That is a baby Bowtruckle! Consider it an apology for not believing you" she said and Marcus laughed as he picked up the tiny little tree dwelling creature "Apology accepted!" Marcus said as he laid the Bowtruckle on his palm and it started to crawl through his fingers. After a little while it seemed to be tired and promptly slumped and fell asleep in his hands "Hagrid found him in a burned tree trunk, he was all that was left in the ash. You will take care of him won't you?" she asked curiously and Marcus nodded as fast as lightning.

He noticed that the Bowtruckle was snoring and it sounded like a cricket almost "I think I'm going to name him Crick!" he said as he carefully placed him back in the box. Professor Sprout walked to the other side of the room and came back with a miniature oak tree that could easily fit both your hands "Here! So that way he will feel right at home!" she said and Marcus actually started to cry as he looked at his new pet "Thank you! Truly!" he said as he started towards the door.

As he walked out the Bowtruckle jumped out of the box and crawled into his robe, he looked and saw Crick snuggling in his chest pocket, that was when Marcus let a few tears fall...

He couldn't wait to show his friends!

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	10. Chapter 10

**Hufflepuff Common Room**

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS!" someone screamed and Marcus freaked out and fell out of his bed. He looked up to see Sam grinning and holding a present "This is for you!" he said and pushed the present into his arms. Marcus rubbed the last of the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the present "For me?" he asked and Sam nodded "For you know...being my friend. A lot of people think I'm weird and like my sister more than me but you never thought that. So really it's a thanks." he said and Marcus smiled before he slowly opened the present.

Marcus laughed as he held up his present "A sweater! I love it! Thanks Sam! Really!" he said as he put on the dark yellow sweater that said 'Team Hufflepuff!' written across the front "Me and Anna worked on the enchantments! With the help of a few teachers too." he explained. Marcus frowned before he looked down and saw that the fabric started shimmering and fabric images of Sam, Dan, Anna, and himself all laying around without a care in the world appeared in the sweater like the moving pictures in the school.

Marcus was confused at first before he saw Sam take out an identical sweater and out it on "Come on! The others are waiting in the Great Hall!" he said and grabbed Marcus and pulled him out of the room "Oh wait!" he said and ran over to grab Crick who was hanging out on his tree and let him crawl into his pocket. They made their way to the hall and as soon as the doors opened Marcus was tackled by Streaks and covered in slobber in no time. Marcus laughed as his friends, all wearing identical sweaters with the same enchantments, pulled Streaks off and helped him up. As they pulled him off Marcus saw that even Streaks had an oversized dog sweater identical to his, the thought made him laugh

Marcus walked over where their was a large tree and they all sat down, he noticed that Dan had a green sweater but it still said 'Team Hufflepuff' on it. Dan noticed and leaned over "Let's be honest dude, they put me in Slytherin but I belong in Hufflepuff. Not that I'm complaining I love the sweater!" he said the last part out loud as compliment to Sam and Anna who smiled widely. After that everyone started passing gifts around and that was when Marcus started to realize his gifts may not be enough, his friends were his anchors, if he hadn't met them he would have stayed to himself and not even tried to make any friends, he wanted to show them how much they meant to him.

When it came to his turn he handed everyone a thin rectangular present "I know it's not much but it shows how much you guys mean to me." he said as they opened their gifts. They all stayed silent as they looked at their presents. They were all looking at the same picture, it was all of them together in the practice courtyard with the Quidditch field in the background, eventually Anna looked up with tears in her eyes "Marcus this is amazing! thank you!" she said and Dan nodded "Dude this is great! I'm keeping this with me wherever I go!" he said and Marcus smiled sheepishly.

Sam nodded and gave a large smile "Friends forever!" he shouted and they all yelled in agreement, then they all group hugged. After that Dan smiled "So listen everyone my parents are visiting Hogsmeade right now and they said I can bring you guys if you want to meet them!" he said and everyone agreed...

"Let's go then!" he said happily.

 **Hogsmeade**

They all walked through the snow until they reached the Three Broomsticks, as soon as they door was open Marcus let out a sigh of relief as the door closed leaving the storm behind them. Dan was tackled in a hug by two adults "Danny! How are you bud?" the man asked, he looked like an older version of Daniel with the same hair and same eyes. The woman had black hair and hazel eyes, she ran over and hugged the life out of Marcus who was taken by surprise "Daniel told us about the bullying, thank you for looking out for him. He may look strong but he is sensitive when it comes to family. Thank you!" she whispered into his ear before she pulled away.

Marcus smiled and nodded as the group all sat down at a big table and ordered Butterbeers "And this is all on us, we will happily pay!" Mr. Barnes said. After everyone got there drinks they started talking and laughing together like they were family, as Marcus laughed he heard a small whimper, Marcus looked down and saw Crick was shivering "Oh poor little guy." he said softly and took him out and placed him on the table. Everyone stopped what they were doing "Ohhh look at him he's adorable!" Mrs. Barnes said and Crick looked confused as he gazed at the giants in front of him.

Marcus smiled "He loves attention." he said and right as he said that Crick did a flip and posed as if to say "Ta da!" and everyone clapped and laughed "You know we have some Bowtruckles at MACUSA! They are used during raids because they can be very adept at picking locks." Mr. Barnes said. Sam frowned "MACUSA?" he asked and the Barnes family nodded "Basically the American version of the Ministry of Magic." Dan explained and Sam nodded.

After a while Mr. Barnes turned to Marcus "So Marcus, I worked with your parents for a few years. How are they doing?" he asked and Marcus smiled "They are doing great, they were so proud of me when they heard I was in Hufflepuff apparently my father won a bet so he's never been happier." he explained and everyone laughed. Marcus and Dan were laughing hysterically and then they looked at each other and they stared at each other longer than usual, then they both blushed and turned away.

Mr. Barnes finally stopped laughing "So Marcus I also hear you have dog?" he asked and he nodded "You know it's..." Mr. Barnes stopped mid-sentence as the whole building started to rumble...

Then the door exploded.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Three Broomsticks**

Everyone was in a daze and Marcus could barely see in all the smoke but he noticed a few hooded figures walk into the pub. They started casting stunning charms and as Marcus got up and reached for his wands one yelled _"Petrificus totalus"_ and Marcus froze in place. He fell and slammed into the ground, he could move his eyes but due to the blow to the head and the smoke everything was distorted "We have them! The Order of the Phoenix members Charles and Alexis Barnes are now our hostages!" one of them said.

The others started laughing "Take them! MACUSA shall not interfere anymore now that their best Aurors are under our control!" another said. As they started walking away one of them stopped "What about the beasts?" they asked and Marcus recognized the voice, but he couldn't pinpoint it. The tallest figure laughed again "Yes! Release the...!" he said, Marcus was losing consciousness and couldn't make out what he said, and then they all disapparated out of the pub...

Then Marcus passed out.

 **Hospital Wing**

"You may just be favorite patient Mr. Dine! Considering that you have been here more than anyone this semester." Madame Pomfrey said with a chuckle. Marcus gave a pained laugh as he looked around and saw all of his friends were passed out in the other beds. He slowly got up and looked around and saw the other beds were all filled with other students even though the school was practically empty, it was then that he saw in the farthest bed against the wall was Professor Flitwick in a full body cast.

Marcus gasped and threw off his blanket and ran to the bed, the half-goblin teacher was asleep but he had a number of cuts on his face "What happened?!" Marcus demanded and Madame Pomfrey sighed "Severe burns but we have no idea what caused them!" she explained as Marcus looked at the man and then he remembered what he had heard "Where is the Headmaster!?" he asked and Pomfrey frowned "He is talking to the staff in the great hall about the attack at the Three Broomsticks but you should be in bed Mr. Dine." she said but he was already out the door not caring about the pain in his head.

He ran through the twisting halls and pushed open the massive doors where Dumbledore was speaking to numerous professors, including Snape who simply glared at him as he ran up to them. Marcus was out of breath when he stopped "Professor! I...I have some information that I think you should hear! About the attack in Hogsmeade!" he said and all of the professors perked up and stared at him. Marcus gulped "They were there to take Mr. and Mrs. Barnes hostage! They said they were members of Order of the something or other and that MACUSA can't interfere anymore! Then they said to release some beasts and I assume that is what has been attacking people right?!" he asked rapidly.

It took the professors a few seconds to process what he said but once they did they started bombarding him with questions. Dumbledore eventually held up his hand and the professors silenced "Mr. Dine thank you for telling us this however we are sure we know exactly what the beast is." he said and Marcus was curious as to what the beast was but he never said and Marcus let it drop.

Marcus noticed all of the professors were staring at him "What?" he asked and then Snape stepped forward "It is peculiar Mr. Dine. How you come to school and cause trouble wherever you go and when their is an attack you are the only one with information" he asked and Marcus looked at him confused "What on earth are you talking about?!" he asked and Snape growled "Do not play dumb! We will uncover everything that is hidden and that goes the same with your family!" he said and Marcus went wide eyed, his family?

Marcus was more confused now "What is happening?! Can someone please explain!" he asked and Professor Sprout guided him out to the hall "Marcus it might be best if we speak in private." she said. They walked outside to the courtyard and sat down with the professor "Marcus...you can't see through the enchantment can you?" she asked softly. Marcus looked at her "Enchantment?" he asked and she sighed again "Marcus their is a powerful spell cast on you, a memory erasing charm, a very very powerful one too. One I have never seen before. Snape is determined to uncover the truth of those attacks and he seems to believe that you were somehow involved." she explained.

Marcus couldn't believe what he was hearing "That's insane I would never do anything like that and what did he mean about my family? There is nothing to hide about my family!" he said confidently but Professor Sprout looked unconvinced. After a few seconds Marcus gulped "At least...I don't think their is. Right?" he asked and Professor Sprout wouldn't meet his eye. Marcus gulped hard "Professor...is there something wrong with my family?" he asked in a barely audible voice.

Sprout nodded grimly and Marcus seemed to forget how to breath "And what exactly is the secret?" he asked and Professor Sprout took a deep breath "It is your surname." she said and Marcus frowned "What about it? It's Dine." he said and she shook her head. After a few seconds she continued "Marcus, you come from a long line of magic, all the way back to the Middle Ages and the time of King Arthur. Your family was part of his court, and from that court your ancestor started a secret society of wizards and witches, not of Pure-blood supremacy but of Muggle extermination." she explained.

Marcus felt light headed as she spoke, "Professor Sprout? If my family name wasn't Dine back then...what was it?" he asked softly and she spoke in a whisper...

"Le Fay"

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	12. Chapter 12

**Courtyard**

"Mr. Dine please understand what I am saying, just because something your ancestor did a long time ago does not mean you will follow in their footsteps!" she said but Marcus couldn't hear her. Marcus was freaking out, he was hyperventilating "Le Fay? Le Fay! My ancestor is Morgan Le Fay!" he repeated as he held his head in pain "Marcus? Are you alright?!" she asked and suddenly he collapsed on the ground. Marcus looked up to the sky and it felt like he was propelled into the air, he was suddenly eight years old and in his family mansion.

He was walking in the long and twisting halls until he tripped over the wooden floor, he looked down and saw a small little latch that would be invisible unless you really focused and tried to find it. He grabbed the latch and lifted it with all his strength and the door slowly lifted up. He walked down a small set of spiral stairs and came to a dungeon like hallway, he continued past many closed doors and eventually came to an open one down the hall. He peered into the door that was open just a bit and saw a bunch of candles and tomes laying on a table.

He pushed the door open all the way and looked around the room, it was empty but it gave him an eerie feeling. He looked to the end of the room and a large portrait of Morgan Le Fay in the back wall "Son?" a voice spoke behind him.

He turned and saw a cloaked figure, the voice was distorted but Marcus had a pretty good idea of who it was "Wh..Wh-What is this?" he asked a little frightened. The figure laughed before holding up a wand "Long live the Knights son." and took out their wand and pointed it at him, then everything went white. Everything seemed to move at the speed of light as the white color turned into the blue sky and Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfreys faces came into view "He's responding!" Pomfrey said with a smile as she shined her wand in his eyes and his eyes followed.

Marcus groaned "Ugh, what was that?!" he asked and the two adults looked at each other " _That_ was the memory charm shattering, what did you see?" Sprout asked and Marcus groaned again as he tried to remember. After a few seconds it all came back clearly "My dad! He said 'Long live the Knights.' who are the Knights?" he asked as he sat up. Sprout and Pomfrey shook their heads "Not sure, we will have to investigate this." they said before helping him back into the school and into the Hospital Wing.

Marcus sighed as he laid into the bed "Now rest up." Pomfrey said before she left the room...

Eventually Marcus drifted off to sleep.

 **Later that Night**

Marcus heard voices in the room, he cracked an eye open and looked around, but he didn't see anyone. Suddenly a ghostly voice began to speak "Find the child! Kill the child!" the voice said and then he heard what sounded like wings. Suddenly the door slammed shut and Marcus yelped in fear, then he heard groaning. He looked around and saw Dan staring to move in his bed, Marcus jumped out and ran over to the older boy who was still asleep but he was groaning and sweating heavily. Marcus took in the Slytherin boys angelic features, he wild eccentric hair, and the adorable way he whimpered when he moved.

Wait...whimpered?

Marcus realized that Dan must have been having a nightmare, a very scary and vivid one! Marcus grabbed Dan "Wake up buddy! Wake up!" he said as he shook him and Dan jumped awake breathing heavily. He looked around until his eyes rested on Marcus "What...What happened?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Marcus sat in the chair next to the bed "We were attacked, you looked like you were having a pretty rough nightmare. What was it about?" he asked concerned and Dan flinched slightly.

Marcus held up his hands "Don't worry I won't judge I just want to know what it was about to see if I can help." he assured and Dan seemed to relax a little. After a little more convincing Dan finally sighed "I dreamed...I dreamed I never met you guys, any of you, and that those bullies were chasing me. They were screaming insults and saying I didn't belong, that I was a mudblood and a traitor to wizards and then I saw fire...and death." he explained and tears started to fall.

Marcus grabbed Dans hand "It's okay don't worry! I'm here buddy." he said softly and Dan nodded. After a few minutes he laid back down in the bed and let out a deep sigh "Marcus? Can you...Can you maybe...stay here? Until I fall back asleep? Please?" he asked giving him a puppy dog stare and Marcus caved immediately "Sure Dan, absolutely." he said with a small smile. Dan gave one in return and then closed his eyes, Marcus again took in how handsome the boy was before he heard the voice again.

"The child! Must find the child!" the same ghostly voice said, Marcus whirled around but again nothing was there. He heard the flapping sound again and looked up to see a window was open in near the ceiling leading outside. He stared at the window and as he looked he caught a glimpse of something flying outside, he sat up and ran over to the window to try and get a better look but he saw nothing. Then suddenly a reptilian face appear right on front of him through the window.

Marcus yelped and fell back on the ground, the creature shot up and flew away out of sight, that was when Marcus saw the wings and it was blowing fire...

It was a dragon!

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	13. Chapter 13

**The Next Day**

When everyone finally woke up they found Marcus still breathing heavily on the floor with wide eyes and his mouth agape. Anna waved her hand in front of his face and he snapped out of it "Huh? What?" he asked softly. Madame Pomfrey walked in and Anna talked to her for a few minutes and she nodded "Mr. Dine you should get some rest." she said and Marcus nodded "I will, only if Professor Dumbledore agrees to see me right now." he said and after a few seconds of silence Pomfrey nodded and left the room.

After everyone had cleared out Professor Dumbledore walked in with a strange look on his face "I understand you wished to speak to me Mr. Dine?" he said and Marcus nodded. Once the headmaster was seated across from him he leaned forward "Last night I was hearing a voice, like a whisper almost and then when I tried to see who spoke I saw a dragon outside the window! It looked like...I mean it's not possible but...I think the dragon was the one speaking." Marcus said as he looked down in embarrassment.

When he looked back up Dumbledore was stroking his beard "Marcus do you know what Parseltongue is?" he asked and the student nodded "The language of snakes. Salazar Slytherin was one right?" he said and Dumbledore nodded. The man stood up and paced the room "While Parseltongue is the language of snakes there are different dialects of it. One of these dialects is even more rare than Parseltongue itself and that is an ancient language called Drakkantongue or more commonly referred to as...The language of Dragons." he explained.

Marcus went wide eyed "Wait so are you saying...I can speak...to dragons?" he asked slowly and Dumbledore sat back down "Yes and also understand what they are saying as well. Only one person was ever recorded to have this ability, a witch in ancient Greece. Unlike Parseltongue it is not hereditary though, anyone can be born with it. For some reason it is very very rare and often can lead to great tragedy." he said as if he learned from experience.

Marcus looked out the window where he saw the dragon the night before "So...Drakkantongue? How can that even be possible?!" he asked and Dumbledore leaned back. After a while he finally spoke again "How is it possible to speak to snakes? Somehow you were simply born with an innate ability to communicate with dragons. Don't look frightened young Mr. Dine, just because tragedy has befallen others doesn't mean you share the same fate. When you are feeling better speak was Hagrid I shall call upon an old friend of mine to come to Hogwarts and speak to you about dragons and maybe he can even bring some to talk to you." he said with a smile before he left the room.

Marcus gulped hard before he laid down in his bed and soon drifted to sleep.

 **Later that afternoon.**

Marcus walked down the hill to the small hut that was at the edge of the forest, as he walked down he realized he was hearing large footsteps behind him. He whirled around and found Streaks sitting by a tree and Marcus sighed "Come on out!" he yelled to the tree. Dan and Sam both came out of the tree looking guilty "We were just curious, we want to help!" Sam said as he looked at the ground. Marcus smiled before he nodded to the hut, his friends ran up and started walking down with him, with Streaks being as close to his master as possible.

When they reached the hut Marcus knocked on the door and it opened, Hagrid was standing there with a crossbow "Oh Marcus! Come in Professor Dumbledore said you'd be stopping by." he said as they all walked in. They all sat down and Streaks laid down in the middle of the floor and sighed happily, Hagrid looked at the large dog in wonder "That's a mighty beast you have with you Marcus!" he said astonished. MArcus frowned "It's just a dog, you have one too Hagrid." he said and the large man looked up with a smile "Oh right, yep just...never seen that kind of dog before." he said before clearing his throat.

Hagrid sat down in his large chair and made a cup of tea for the boys "So, Dumbledore said you had urgent questions?" he asked and Marcus nodded. He looked at his friends unsure whether or not he should tell his friends what Dumbledore told him. He figured now wasn't the time "What do you know about dragons Hagrid? Professor Dumbledore and I are making up a report about them together that's why it's so urgent." he lied. Hagrid nodded "Well, they are vastly misunderstood creatures, dangerous of course, but dragons are merely protectors! They guard their own! That's why dragons attack because their eggs are highly valuable, so you can see why dragons are depicted as monsters. They are just trying to protect their kin and no one cares, they kill dragons whenever they can." he explained with anger laced in his voice.

Marcus nodded "And...what do you know about Drakkantongue?" he asked cautiously and his friend frowned and looked at him in confusion. Hagrid sat back "Not much more than anyone else, it's the language of dragons and people can be born with it much like Parseltongue but that's really all I know lad. Why do you ask?" he asked curiously. Marcus was about to lie and make up a reason for asking when their was a knock at the door, he frowned and decided that must be Dumbledores friend.

He opened the door to a tall man with short graying hair, he had a long blue coat, a briefcase that kept shaking, and a splash of freckles across his face "Ah you must be Marcus Dine!" he said with a small smile. Marcus nodded as the man shook his hand...

"My name is Newt Scamander."

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	14. Chapter 14

**Hagrids Hut**

Newt Scamander walked in and shook Hagrids hand "Good to see you again Hagrid! How's your friend in the woods? Is his colony doing well?" he asked curiously. Hagrid smiled "Aye! Plenty of food and space for his family to grow." he responded.

Marcus cleared his throat and Newt turned to him and his friends "Ah right! Dumbledore called in a personal favor to come and speak with you. He told me everything, which is why I brought this." he said showing his shaking briefcase.

Marcus nodded and his friends looked at him "Dude is everything okay?" Dan asked with concern and Sam just looked plain scared. Marcus sighed deeply "I...I was about to tell you guys I just didn't know how." he confessed.

His friends and Hagrid looked confused "Tell us what?" Sam asked and Marcus looked at the famous Magizoologist who seemed to understand what he wanted and put his briefcase on the table. Everyone gathered around the table as he opened it and rummaged inside, he winced for a second and then he pulled out a tiny little dragon the size of a rat. Newt placed it on the table "This is a miniature Hungarian Horntail. Very dangerous." he explained.

"It's about time sir! It's so humid in there!" the dragon yelled in a rough voice, like rocks scraping together, and Marcus went wide eyed as the dragon crawled around complaining about how stuffy the briefcase was. Marcus looked around and no one seemed fazed that the dragon was speaking "Is...Does he normally complain so much?" Marcus asked. Everyone looked at him in shock "You can understand him?!" Dan asked amazed and Marcus was confused "He's speaking English. Aren't you?" he asked the dragon.

The Horntail looked up "English? That stupid language you guys have? Absolutely not! I would never speak in such a way! All those stupid adjectives and nouns! You made it so complicated for no reason!" he snarled before blowing a small plume of fire.

Marcus rolled his eyes "Man he is mean!" he said as everyone just stared at him in shock, even Newt was awestruck, Marcus stared back at them "What?" he asked. Newt stepped forward "Marcus you weren't speaking English, you were speaking with just random guttural sounds, the same sounds that dragons make." he explained and Marcus furrowed his eyebrows before looking down at the dragon that was cleaning his wings.

"You can understand me?" he asked cautiously and the dragon made a sound that sounded like a knife scraping a tree, he was laughing, "Of course not...wait how can I understand a human? What are you?!" the dragon asked before it flew in the air and hovered in front of his face and examined him "You are human that's for sure, but you aren't a regular warm blood. You can understand me. Interesting, well understand this then, I am not going back in that prison box there! It's so gross!" he rambled on.

"What did he say Marcus?" Newt asked and Marcus turned to the older man "He said that he hates being in your briefcase, it's humid and he refers to it as a prison." Marcus translated.

Newt looked shocked "Prison? No I would never do something like that. Horner really doesn't like it in there?" he asked and after another quick conversation with the dragon Marcus turned and shook his head "He also said his name is Nax not Horner, he said if you call him that again he'll...okay actually I'm not going to translate that." he said with a blush at the obscenities that the dragon was shouting.

Newt frowned "Well, I never knew that he didn't like it. What does Hor...Nax say he likes to live in then?" he asked in wonder.

Another brief conversation, "Um...I don't think that would be allowed Nax. I'm in a lot of trouble already and if I did that I would...I am not! No you are! Oh yeah well you have bad breath! Okay that's just rude!" Marcus said before crossing his arms in annoyance.

Newt stared at him for a few seconds before Marcus glared at the dragon and translated "He said he wants to live with me! I'm the only person that could ever understand him and he says that I'm the only one that could truly take care of him! Only thing is I have way too many pets as is and I doubt with everything going on that Dumbledore would let me keep a freaking dragon with me!" he said angrily.

Newt scratched his stubble for a few minutes "What other pets do you have?" he asked curiously. Marcus sighed and pointed to his dog "I have Streaks here and a small baby Bowtruckle named Crick. Both require all of my attention. I can't take a dragon!" he said with another glare shot at the dragon that just huffed in annoyance.

"HANG ON TIME OUT!" a voice rang out behind them, Marcus turned and his friends were just looking at him shocked "Dude you can speak to dragons?! Since when?!" Dan asked with wide eyes. Marcus shrugged "Since always I guess. This is the first time I've ever had a conversation with one and I wish it was a nicer one!" he said staring at the small dragon.

They both started arguing again and eventually Marcus started taking out his wands but Sam grabbed both of them out of his hands "I'll just...take these away from you for now." he said and put them in his robes.

Newt had been silent this whole time "Marcus, ask Nax what he thinks of your...is that a dog?" he asked as he stared at the behemoth of love that was Streaks.

Marcus asked and Nax flew in front of Streaks "Large and smelly! He would be a perfect bodyguard! I approve of this monster! He would serve me well!" Nax said as he landed on the table again.

"He said he likes Streaks. Why do you ask?" Marcus said as Newt opened his briefcase and he disappeared in the briefcase until only his feet were showing. Then he climbed out and he was covered head to toe in Bowtruckles.

"I was going to bring one or two out, but they have attachment issues." he explained with a laugh.

Marcus smiled before Nax shrieked "Leaf creatures! Death to the leaf creatures!" he shouted and breathed ready to shoot fire. Marcus clamped a hand over his mouth "Oh no you don't Nax! You aren't hurting them!" he ordered angrily before moving his hand.

Nax started mumbling angrily but didn't breath fire, Newt was utterly amazed "Was he about to burn them?!" he asked and Marcus nodded.

Newt looked at the dragon and then at the Bowtruckles, "Hey Marcus, what if I adopted your Bowtruckle? I know how to take care of them and apparently I don't know how to take care of a dragon with some anger issues." he said.

Marcus looked at the dragon and even though they fought a lot he could see sadness in its eyes when he said he couldn't take care of him.

He looked at Newt "I just...I would miss Crick a lot." he admitted and Newt laughed before he knelt down and placed a hand on the young boys shoulder "I promise you, if you start to miss him I will visit and you can see him alright? Bowtruckles grow attached to their owners so I'm sure Crick would miss you too. This is your decision though Marcus you can always say no." he explained.

Marcus looked at Nax and again even though the dragon was rude and obnoxious he could see in his eyes a longing to be loved and understood.

"I'll take the dragon!"

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	15. Chapter 15

**Hogwarts**

"He also says he doesn't like the meat you feed him. He prefers fish." Marcus rambled as he translated what his dragon was saying to Newt Scamander, who was writing down notes as fast as possible as they walked down the hall to see Dumbledore. Newt was astounded "Amazing! I never would have thought! I always thought fish was off the menu for them. Seeing as how they don't seem to like the water." he explained and Marcus looked at Nax.

"You don't like the water?" he asked and Nax snorted "Water is pleasant! Why do you think I like fish?! Have you ever seen an avian dive into the water and catch a fish? My brother Horntails are the same!" he explained. and Marcus relayed that to the older wizard who just shook his head in amazement.

Eventually they made it to the office and Marcus knocked but Newt simply pushed the door open with a smile "Albus!" he said happily to the old wizard. Dumbledore gave a chuckle as he shook the mans hand "Wonderful to see you again Newton!" he said and they turned to Marcus who was petting the dragon on his shoulder unbeknownst to the two that Nax was talking about burning Dumbledores beard off.

"Stop it Nax! He's my Headmaster! Treat him with respect or no fish!" he said sternly and Nax grumbled some profanity before agreeing. Dumbledore smiled as he saw the student and dragon arguing "I take it things went well Newton?" he asked and Newt nodded.

"Actually me and Marcus wanted to talk to you about how well it went and what we want to do with this new found ability." he said with a gleam in his eye.

"Oh and what would that be?" the Headmaster asked curiously.

"Marcus keeps the dragon and I take his Bowtruckle. Also he should probably help Kettleburn with Care of Magical Creatures next year alright? Because who better to talk about dragons than someone who can literally speak with the dragons!" he exclaimed happily.

Dumbledore nodded but then seemed to realize what Newt had said "Keep the dragon? Here? I do not know if that would be wise considering what is happening right now." he said but Newt sat down and spread his hands.

"No but that's just it! A Drakkantongue comes the year that a bunch of dragons are on the loose on school grounds! He needs this dragon with him because if he can't talk to the dragons maybe Nax can!" he explained.

Dumbldore frowned "Nax?" he asked and Newt quickly explained what happened in Hagrids hut and Dumbledore gave an amused chuckle.

Nax and Marcus were still bickering before Albus cleared his throat and they both shut up although Nax kept poking Marcus in the neck, leading to a back and forth between them.

Dumbledore walked to them and with amused smile he held his hand out to the dragon "It's a human thing, we shake hands as introduction." he explained and the dragon looked confused.

"You do not burn the others spine? Are their no polite humans here?! Shaking of the hands? Hmph! Very well!" he said as he spread his small wing and very slowly shook the the wizards finger with his wrapped wing.

Marcus suppressed a laugh at how funny the scene was before Nax bit his ear with his tiny fangs and he yelped in pain "NAX!" he said angrily and the dragon started laughing as the boy chased the dragon around the room "That's not polite!" he said as he missed a grab and slammed his shoulder into the door.

He fell to the ground clutching his throbbing arm and before he knew it Nax was laying in front of him "Are you alright sir? It looks painful! I apologize I should not have bit you." he said softly.

Marcus felt his anger wash away as he looked at the dragon "No I'm sorry Nax I overreacted. I should not have gotten so mad." he said and pet the dragon on the head before it crawled onto his shoulder and Marcus stood up.

It was then that he realized the room was dead silent he looked over and both Newt and Dumbledore looked ready to burst out laughing.

Marcus blushed a deep crimson "Sorry what were we talking about?" he asked sheepishly.

Dumbledore regained his serious face "While you were chasing Nax here we came to an agreement." he said as they walked over to him.

"Nax is allowed to stay in your care but make sure he is kept under close watch! When the term starts back up you shall be put into Care for Magical Creatures, yes it is an advanced class that most First Years do not take but this is an exception. Your class schedule shall not change it shall only be when Kettleburn starts reviewing dragons to the class okay?" he explained and Marcus nodded.

Newt stepped forward "And Marcus I would also like to offer you a job." he said and the boy went wide eyed "A...job?" he asked.

Newt nodded "When you graduate I want to offer you a job co-writing a book about dragons with me. Also I shall talk to my friends in Romania and see if they could find some use for someone of your ability. Who knows someone like you could become the worlds leading Dragonologist within a year!" he said happily.

Marcus was shocked, he never had thought about that as a career. He found himself nodding and smiling "Hear that Nax? We might get to see your fellow dragons sometime!" he said happily and Nax snorted in approval.

As they started out the door "Wait Mr. Dine one moment. I have some news for you." Dumbledore said as he walked over to the student and handed him some sort of robe, he opened it and it was a red and black robe that had an insignia of two wands crossing on the chest. Marcus was utterly confused as he looked back up at the man.

"The Dueling club is officially up and running and you are going to help teach it. As Captain of the dueling club you shall wear these honorary robes." Dumbledore explained.

Marcus felt the chest of the robe and it felt rough "Armor?" he asked and Dumbledore chuckled again "Just heavily padded in case you are blasted back and hit the wall or ground very hard." he explained.

The boy smiled happily as he nodded and left with his dragon staring at the robe asking if he could burn it.

Newt patted him on the back...

"Good luck Marcus!"

 **Dungeons**

Marcus walked through the hall and he saw Sam and Dan talking, Dan looked miserable and Sam looked like he was trying to comfort him.

Marcus was confused before he came to realize what he might be crying about, Daniels parents had been kidnapped! His parents were being held hostage that's why he didn't want to be alone at night! That's why he wanted to stay close to his friends!

The young Hufflepuff felt guilty that he had not thought about it, then he looked down at his robe and knew what he had to do. He walked over to his friends and they greeted him, well Sam did Daniel was too miserable to greet him.

"Daniel I'm sorry for everything that's happened, but don't worry! My parents contacted me and said that they are doing everything in their power to find your parents. They won't rest until they are found I assure you." he said and Dan sniffled but nodded as he gave his friend a hug.

"Listen I have something to take your mind off of everything!" he said and Dan frowned in confusion.

"How would you like to help me run the Dueling Club?"

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	16. Chapter 16

**Dueling Room**

"Alright everyone gather around!" Dan yelled as he wore a matching outfit like Marcus, the only thing that was different between the two was the fact that a dragon was sleeping on Marcus's head. All of the students awkwardly shoved each other as they circled around the two instructors.

Marcus looked in the corner and saw Professor Mcgonagall keeping an eye on them, she nodded in approval and Marcus smiled as he turned to the crowd.

"Alright guys! We are going to be teaching you how to duel! After today me and Dan will make four teams and at the end of the year we will have a contest. Dumbledore said the winning prize can range from a badge to not having to take your final exams." Marcus shouted and that got a roar of approval from the students.

"Okay we are going to start with shield spells before we cast any unfriendly spells, the one we are learning today is Protego." Marcus said and gave them the basic rundown using Dan as a partner.

Once they were done and people grouped off into pairs Marcus and Dan stepped down and started to give pointers and advice while Nax kept muttering about how fire is better than spells, Marcus had to keep telling him to be quiet. Everyone in the school already knew he was a Drakkantongue but he still didn't like the attention.

He found Anna and Sam trying to duel and Anna messed up the charm and her wand flew out of her hand. Marcus jumped and caught the wand before it hit another student, he walked over and handed it back to her.

"Think you lost this." he said and he hoped that his face wasn't as red as he felt.

Anna blushed too as she took the wand "I keep messing up the shield! What am I doing wrong?!" she asked frustrated.

Marcus nodded and took her hand and showed her how to move "You have to keep your hand steady and you have to focus on the spell, don't think about what the person might do next focus on the shield okay?" he instructed and Anna nodded.

He nodded to Sam and he cast the spell again, this time Marcus kept his hand with Anna's and the spell shot off the shield.

Anna cheered and hugged Marcus tightly "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Marcus!" she said and Marcus chuckled nervously, he wasn't used to beautiful girls hugging him.

When they pulled apart their faces were inches from each other and then she cleared her throat and they pulled away both blushing furiously.

They heard snickering and saw a bunch of students looking at them, it was the Gryffindors that he dueled in the courtyard. Marcus glared and then looked at the professor and she nodded again, he smiled and then whispered something to Nax.

Suddenly Nax blew fire and screeched at the laughing students, they screamed as Nax chased them around the room, causing everyone to laugh at them as the dragon snapped at them and blew more fire. Marcus had asked Nax not to hurt them if he could help it.

Nax seemed to be friendlier now and it must have been because now that he had someone to talk to he didn't get as mad as before, or maybe because he never had someone not get him everything. Marcus enjoyed his time with Newt Scamander and he respected him greatly and he even agreed with him that Marcus could take better care of Nax because he could say no to him. Apparently Newt had a soft spot for little dragons.

After a few minutes Marcus called Nax back and he landed back on his head and snuggled into his curly hair like it was a jungle before going back to sleep.

Marcus chuckled as he saw everyone go back to what they were doing and it seemed like everyone was able to cast the shield charm with ease.

Marcus climbed onto the dueling platform and looked out to the students "Alright guys now it's time to choose the captains of this years teams! I'm going to duel you all one at a time and the first two people to lay a hit on me are the leaders. Dan is going to do the same." he announced and called up a third year Gryffindor.

They got in their dueling stances and the Gryffindor gulped when he saw Marcus pull out two wands, when Dan said fight the Gryffindor launched into an attack instantly.

Marcus blocked and with ease as if it was second nature and no matter how fast his opponent shot spells they never seemed to hit him, eventually after a minute or two Marcus fired through the shield and the Gryffindor was disarmed.

Marcus patted him on the back and praised his speed before calling up a second year Hufflepuff.

As soon as the word "Go" left Dan's mouth the tall teenager started firing spells at lightning speed, Marcus could barely block them and then he fired through the shield and the boy blocked it. Marcus was impressed, so impressed that he accidentally let his guard down for a split second and a spell hit his chest and sent him to the ground.

Marcus got up and Nax started flying towards the Hufflpuff in outrage screaming curse words and other things that should never be repeated.

"NAX STOP!" he ordered and the dragon slowed down and hovered a foot away from the Hufflepuff student who didn't look terrified more or less just confused.

Marcus walked over and shook his hand with a smile "Congratulations you're the first team leader...what was your name? I've seen you in the common room before." he asked as he vaguely recalled the boys face.

"Cedric Diggory." he said happily.

Marcus smiled again as he walked back to the other side of the platform and called for the next person as he handed Nax over to Dan and ordered him to not attack anyone and be nice.

He looked up and was surprised as to who came up...

Nile Grudge.

He gulped as they held up their wands, Nile looked like he had a murderous glare and Marcus was terrified.

Dan started counting down "Three...Two..." he didn't finish because Nile screamed " _Stupefy!"_

A blast of red shot toward Marcus and struck his chest, he was completely disoriented as he shot back and slammed into the wall and fell to the ground.

His vision was fuzzy but he saw Niles grinning as he high fived his friends while all the other students ran to check on him.

He saw worried faces all around him; Cedric, Anna, Sam, and Dan all looked like they had seen a ghost.

Marcus was confused until he realized why, he felt blood dripping down his forehead and he knew something was probably broken.

Then he passed out.

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	17. Chapter 17

**Hospital Wing**

"Mr. Dine this is the last time I will see you in this wing alright? I feel like you are doing this on purpose now!" Madame Pomfrey said slightly annoyed.

Marcus gave a small smile as he raised his hand to his head and felt bandages, he opened his eyes to an interesting sight. All of his friends, including Cedric, were standing around him with worried expressions.

"Hey man you okay?" Dan asked, Marcus was about to answer when he heard a small screech. He looked down to see Nax on his stomach blowing fire in the air and laughing.

"You live! Owner lives! The dumb one has been trying to care of me but he is...well dumb!" Nax said pointing his head to Sam who was smiling happily.

Sam frowned when he saw that Nax was looking at him "I tried to care for him while you were out, I don't think he likes me." he said glumly.

Marcus felt heartbroken by the sadness in his friends voice "Actually he's saying you did great!" Marcus lied.

"And then he tried to pet me and I bit him good! That no good, idiotic piece of..." Nax rambled.

Marcus winced at the insults and he wished he could tune out the dragon but he was really loud "And he said he loves you very much." he finished.

He saw Anna giving him a weird look and he made a face that said 'Don't say anything, he hates Sam!' and Anna nodded with a suppressed laugh.

Sam was smiling like crazy and laughing with Dan so he didn't see the face Marcus made.

Cedric sat down next to his bed "You gave us one hell of a scare dude. That Nile guy really messed you up. Your arm was at a weird angle when you landed, you had a concussion, and your head was bleeding." he explained.

I nodded and rubbed my head and could feel the healing cut under the bandages "What about the team leaders?" he asked curiously.

Dan nodded " Don't worry I got the rest of the teams sorted out. Next to Cedric it's Anna, some Ravenclaw who's name escapes me, and...well." Dan didn't finish.

Marcus frowned "What's wrong buddy?" he asked and Dan sighed before Cedric pat him on the back.

"That Nile guy is the fourth leader, he was the only other person that was able to hit either of you so we had no choice but to make him the last guy." he explained.

Marcus groaned and slammed his head into the pillow, which caused him to yelp in pain and grab it as his vision went a little blurry before returning to normal.

Marcus looked over at Anna and his breath hitched, just like every time he saw her "Hey guys do you mind if I talk to Anna for a minute? Alone?" he asked and everyone nodded.

Cedric gave a knowing smile before he left with the others. Once they were alone Anna sat at the end of his bed, she was wearing regular jeans and a t-shirt though to Marcus she looked stunning.

"I...I don't know if I want you playing Anna." he said softly.

The young girl frowned in confusion before she realized what he meant "Because of Nile? You think he'd do the same thing to us to get ahead?" she asked and Marcus nodded.

"I just...Anna if anything ever happened to you I would never forgive myself, or any of my friends!" he added that last part at the last second hoping Anna didn't realize his feelings for her.

He blushed deeply and she did the same, making him realize that she probably knew what he meant but she said nothing.

"Oh...well, I promise I will be careful if you promise me something." she said and Marcus felt his heartbeat race to a thousand beats a second.

She looked at the door to make sure they were alone "Promise me that you will help me fight everyday? Help me learn new spells and charms. Everyone in the school already agrees you are the best dueler in like a century." she explained.

Marcus felt his throat dry and his cheeks heated up, "Um...I mean...I guess I can do that." he said in barely a whisper.

Anna threw her arms around him "Aw thanks Mark!" she said happily, and Marcus was surprised usually he hated it when people called him Mark but when she said it he felt like he was in heaven.

When they pulled apart Marcus could still feel the warmth of her hands on his neck and he loved that feeling, never wanting it to vanish but he knew if he said that she would probably scream and run away.

Marcus rubbed his neck and felt his sore head "When did Pomfrey say my head was going to heal?" he asked and Anna thought for a minute snapping her finger softly. A little tick that Marcus noticed when they first met and he thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.

He didn't realize Anna was speaking "Oh sorry what did you say?" he asked embarrassed.

Anna stifled a laugh "I said Madame Pomfrey thinks you can leave in a few hours. That's when the healing tonic should kick in."

Marcus nodded and Anna started to get up but before he could think he grabbed her hand "Do you think...maybe you could stay with me...and talk to me for those few hours?" he asked with the deepest blush spreading across his face.

Anna smiled too and she nodded as she sat down next to him so that they were barely a foot away from each other "What do you want to talk about?" she asked.

Marcus suddenly realized that he had no idea what he wanted to talk about and he was freaking out when suddenly Anna poked his nose to get his attention. He jerked back in surprise before he saw Anna laughing, it was angelic but he still didn't say anything.

"Let's get to know each other." she said as she grabbed his hand and he was still freaking out, he assumed she was probably grabbing his hand because he was injured.

He squeezed her hand a little...

"Fine by me."

 **REVIEEEEWWWW! PLEEEAAASSSSEEEEE! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYYYEEEEEEE!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Practice Courtyard**

"Okay and raise your arm a little higher. Perfect, no just aim and fire!" Marcus instructed and Anna cast the charm, causing one of Marcus's wands to fly out of his hand.

"Fantastic! Anna that was amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Marcus said as he spun her around in a hug.

Anna laughed as she spun around, when they pulled apart Marcus went and grabbed his wand that was on the ground. As he reached for it a hand came from nowhere and snatched the wand away.

Marcus looked up and saw Nile on a broom holding his wand "Looking for something?" he asked with a grin.

He flew down and landed, his friends were flying above him probably playing some game while Nile walked over to the two Hufflepuffs.

"Nile please give me my wand back." Marcus asked and the Slytherin examined the wand and shook his head "Nah! You think you are so strong don't you? Having two wands! Well guess what? Now I ahve two wands and lets see how you fight now!" he shouted and pointed the wands at them.

Marcus moved in front of Anna and drew his second wand "I don't want to fight Nile! Give me back my wand please!" he pleaded but Nile just laughed as he fired a jinx.

Marcus blocked it.

Nile fired again, and again, and again.

Marcus blocked each shot but it was harder with one wand, he started to sweat as Nile kept firing.

Eventually Marcus messed up and his wand flew out of his hand, he was momentarily distracted before he heard the spell.

 _"CRUCIO!"_

Pain ignited in Marcus, he fell to the ground and started convulsing as an excruciating amount of pain washed over him.

He could barely see the pain was so great but he did notice something interesting.

He saw that it wasn't Nile casting the spell, he lowered his wands in shock and actually ran over to Marcus.

"Marcus?!" he yelled but he couldn't hear anything the pain was destroying all his other senses.

He could see the two Slytherins flying above them laughing, he saw them both had their wands out and were pointing them at him.

All thoughts left him as the pain increased and his teeth clenched, he felt like they might shatter they were clenched so tight.

Anna was in his field of view screaming something but again he couldn't hear.

Suddenly the pain stopped and Marcus was breathing heavily on the ground, he rolled onto his back groaning loudly. He saw the two Slytherins flying away in the distance.

Anna grabbed his face and made him look at the two students who both looked horrified.

"Marky are you alright?" Nile asked and it was the first time in years that Nile had used his old nickname, but Marcus nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

Nile nodded and handed him his wands, a guilty expression on his face.

"Nile...it's not your fault." he said as he sat up, the pain was gone but he could still feel his muscles tightening. He had never experienced anything like that in his entire life.

Nile shook his head "No...No it was my fault! I shouldn't have disarmed you. You were off guard and those guys they are so...Marky I'm sorry that we fought." he said finally.

Marcus felt tears rising as he looked at Nile "It's okay. I just hope we can be friends again Nile." he said hopefully and Nile smiled and nodded.

"I'm...I'm also sorry about the stun spell in Dueling Club. Those guys made me, they aren't the nicest people and I figured if I was friends with them I wouldn't be picked on or anything about my parents." he explained.

Marcus shook his head "Nile you know I would never do that. My friends would never do that, and we would all kill anyone that did. Nile you were my best friend and I miss you." he said slowly, he was still recuperating from the spell.

Nile looked a little unconvinced "Marky...all I wanted was a family! Your parents took that away! I was angry and bitter but seeing you in so much pain. It was like that day all over again."

He nodded in agreement "You never lost your family Nile. You're like a brother to me, my parents love you like a son. I have heard them talk about adopting you but the family that took you in didn't want to give you up." he explained.

Nile shot his head up in surprise "What? Really?" he asked and Marcus nodded.

Nile bit his lip hesitantly "Would...would they maybe...still want me?" he asked nervously.

Marcus chuckled "I'll talk to my parents and let them know you are interested. I promise that I will convince them Nile." he said with a smile.

Nile looked shocked before he pulled Marcus into a hug "Th-Thank you! I promise you won't regret it Marcus! I promise I'll make this up to you. For everything I did to you."

Marcus hugged him back "Don't worry about it Nile. Just please let's never fight again. These last few years were really hard on me without you."

The two students looked at each other before Nile nodded with a smile.

After that the trio stood up and Marcus was feeling much better, he rubbed his head "What _was_ that anyway?" he asked.

Nile frowned "The Torture Curse. One of the three Unforgivable Curses I'm sorry that happened. I never thought those guys would actually do it. Their parents were Death Eaters too but...they loved that fact. I hated it."

Marcus nodded as he sheathed his two wands and held out his hand "Best friends?" he asked.

Nile smacked his hand away and pulled him into a hug again...

"Best friends forever!"

 **PLEASE REVIEW! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYYEEEEEEEE!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Great Hall**

Everyone was laughing hysterically as Nile finished with his joke, Cedric was in tears along with Marcus, Anna was hugging her stomach, and Sam was laughing hysterically with Dan.

Nile had made a strong effort to hang out with all of Marcus's friends and with Dan being a Slytherin as well they both stood up for each other when they got bullied. Those Slytherin that attacked him were expelled immediately and were taken into custody by the Ministry for using an Unforgivable Curse.

Marcus was happy, he finally got his parents to agree to take Nile in for the summer to see how he will do. He and Nile were also going to spend the summer trying to figure out why his parents placed a memory charm on him and who the Knights were.

The only thing that mattered though was the almost daily dragon attacks that happened inside and outside the school "We have to figure this out guys! I'm Drakkantongue this cannot be a coincidence!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, Marcus had told them everything that happened the night he saw the dragon and what it said to him.

"Do you think you are the child? Since you are Drakkantongue maybe they want to get rid of you." Dan suggested.

Marcus shook his head "If they wanted to kill me they would have that night they saw my face and didn't do anything."

Everyone sat in silence trying to think of answers when Nile cleared his throat "I...I may know who they are after." he said quietly.

They all looked at him curiously and he took a deep breath "A few weeks ago those Slytherin guys told me that they knew who the kid was and wanted to keep him close. I have no idea who they were talking about though. The way they were talking I think it's a Slytherin."

Marcus pondered this and then remembered what he had told him "Nile...I think they meant you. You said so yourself that people were picking on you but these guys were practically protecting you all the time."

He went wide eyed "Why would I be the kid? I'm no one special."

Suddenly Nax, who had been flying around the group dropped down and stared at Nile "This warm blood is strange!" he hissed menacingly and Nile leaned away.

Marcus picked Nax up and gestured for everyone to stay quiet for a minute "What do you mean Nax?"

Nax looked at Nile "His blood! Evil blood! Evil magic!" he said and Marcus shook his head.

"Nile is not evil I assure you!" he insisted but Nax hissed again.

"Not the child! His blood! Long line of evil magic running through him! Very powerful!" he said as he laid on his shoulder.

Marcus went wide eyed and looked at his friends in fear "What? What did he say?" Cedric asked.

Marcus translated and everyone looked at Nile who was just as shocked "I am so confused!" he yelled.

"I think...Someone is trying to conduct some ancient ritual and it may require blood to perform." he guessed.

Cedric snapped his fingers "Oh yeah I learned about that kind of stuff! Super ancient magic like before Hogwarts even existed. It's not practiced anymore because it always required a blood sacrifice or something like that."

Marcus was horrified but he had an idea, albeit a very stupid one.

"Nile come with me! We are ending this once and for all. Everyone stay here, I don't want any of you getting hurt." he said.

He and Nile left the hall and Nax was snoring peacefully on his shoulder "What's the plan Marky?" he asked as they walked outside.

He woke up Nax "Hey boy, can you sniff out the dragons that are attacking? Do you know where they are?" he asked.

The Horntail sniffed and looked around "Not far! Lair in the forest! Cave filled with them!" he said.

Marcus nodded and then explained his plan to Nile who looked like he was going to be sick but agreed.

They looked around to make sure no teachers were nearby before they ran out of the courtyard towards the Forbidden Forest.

They stopped at the edge of the forest "No chance we can forget about this and turn around right?" Nile asked.

Marcus wanted to, he would love nothing more but he thought about all the people in the Hospital Wing that were injured from the dragons. He thought about how Daniels parents were being held captive by the very same people that released the dragons in the first place. He thought about all of the burns Professor Flitwick had endured when this all started.

"Let's go!" he said and they ran into the forest.

They followed Nax as he flew a few feet ahead of them, they climbed over fallen trees and noticed many burns and claw marks on the trunks.

"I know this scent, my kin hate them! Oh they are very territorial and think they are the best dragon!" Nax complained which Marcus decided to ignore as he didn't have the energy to respond from all the running.

They finally slowed down near a small opening in the ground, it looked like a large tree had once stood there and it was ripped out roots and all leaving a massive cave like hole in the ground.

"You ready Nile?" he asked cautiously and he nodded nervously as he stared into the deep dark hole.

 _"Fresh meat!"_ a raspy voice spoke behind them.

Marcus whirled around with his wands ready and gulped hard at what was standing in front of them.

Around twenty dragons, each with coppery scales, and were around fifteen feet long snout to tail.

Marcus recognized the type dragon they were, and he could not have been more terrified "P-Peruvian Vipertooths!" he stuttered.

Nile went wide eyed at the amount of dragons and he knew how dangerous they were.

Marcus walked in front of Nile and held Nax protectively "I just want to talk to you." he said softly.

The largest Vipertooth, clearly the leader, crawled forward "You speak in our tongue? Not many can especially a delicious warm blood like you!" it said baring its fangs.

Marcus knew those fangs could kill him in seconds if he wasn't fast enough "Why are you here?!" he asked.

The Vipertooth closed its mouth "Masters want the child! We shall bring them the child! You have brought him to us! Now we must kill you!"

"But why do you want him? Is it his blood?" he asked and the dragons all laughed which sounded more menacing than humorous.

"Blood means nothing to us! They want the child they would not say! We do not ask we only obey!" it said.

Marcus felt a glimmer of hope spark in him, maybe he could reason with them.

"Why do you serve these people? Don't you want to be free? Don't you want to fly not caring about any masters?" he asked.

Many of the dragons seemed to ponder this but the leader snapped its jaws and they all went silent again.

"You cannot persuade us! We are loyal to the masters and will not fail them!" it snarled.

Marcus was out of ideas, the leader clearly had too much power over them so he made a last ditch effort, he turned to Nile.

"Get out of here, slowly and take Nax. I'll distract them! Find Dumbledore and tell him where the lair is!" he whispered and Nile nodded.

Marcus started walking around and the dragons turned to face him, he stopped and turned back to them "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

The lead dragon snorted and was about to answer when Marcus held up his hand "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to them." he said gesturing to the other dragons.

The leader snarled but didn't say anything Marcus knew that dragon packs were fragile on a good day, he noticed Nile slowly backing up behind a tree.

A small dragon looked at Marcus "We follow our alpha" it said looking at the leader.

Marcus had an even crazier idea than his original idea "We follow the alpha." the dragon said.

He knew a spell but he wasn't sure he would have enough time, if he could get a few seconds to pull his wands out...

"Why do you follow him? He is a terrible alpha!" he said and some other dragons nodded in agreement. Clearly the alpha was only in charge through fear and not respect.

Alpha growled and snapped his jaws "Silence your clever tongue! This pack follows me and you shall now die!"

Marcus was breathing heavily "Before you do though! Maybe we should hear what your fellow dragons have to say about you!" he rambled.

Alpha stopped and bared his fangs again before they heard "He always eats all the food! Never leaves enough for us to share!" one shouted.

Another crawled forward "He always bites us when we fail! The masters torture us enough!" another yelled.

Alpha blew fire in rage and charged his own dragons "Fools! He is trying to trick you! Make us fight! KILL HIM!" he ordered but it was too late.

The distraction was enough, Marcus pulled out his wands and with both of them shouted the Conjunctivitis curse at the alpha. It struck its face and immediately it roared and started to scratch its eyes that were already swelling shut.

Marcus then got closer and shouted _"Stupefy!"_ and a large red flash shot from his wands.

They struck Alpha and it fell to the ground in a daze before falling unconscious.

Marcus let out his breath he had been holding when he realized he wasn't out of danger just yet.

The alpha was out but their were still twenty dragons in front of him "B-Back up!" he shouted.

All of the dragons backed away, Marcus froze "Step...Step forward?" he said hesitantly.

The dragons all stepped towards him and waited for him to speak.

The small dragon from before seemed to feel his confusion "You have beaten our alpha! You are the new alpha! We follow your word." it said.

Marcus was shocked, twenty Vipertooths were now at his command and he had no idea what to do.

"Who sent you?" he found himself asking.

"The hooded masters!" one said and Marcus realized that it was pointless to ask because they couldn't understand humans.

"Why do you listen to them?" he asked.

The dragons all seemed uncomfortable now "The alpha followed them and we follow the alpha." one said.

Marcus nodded as he looked at the previous alpha "Well, you are all free. As alpha of this pack I am ordering you to fly away and never come back to this land! Forget about the child that you need to collect. No more humans will be hurt!"

The dragons all nodded before taking off into the sky and then they flew away and out of sight. The smallest one hovered and looked down "Thank you Dragon-friend!" it said before flying off.

Marcus gave a small smile at the dragons praise.

Suddenly he heard a growl behind him, he turned and saw Alpha getting back up. Rage was evident in its eyes "You shall pay for this! I am the alpha of the pack! Not you! DEATH TO THE WARM BLOODS!"

Marcus closed his eyes and waited for the dragon to sink its fangs into him but it never happened, he opened his eyes to a very strange sight.

The dragon was frozen in place as it fell to the ground, then Professor Snape broke through the clearing followed by all of his friends and some more teachers.

"Mr. Dine what is going on here?!" Snape demanded and he still wasn't sure exactly what happened, what would he say? He became the alpha of a pack of the most venomous dragons in existence? He defeated a dragon? He just had a lengthy conversation with a murderous creature?

He finally got over his initial shock and explained everything to Snape who just looked incredulous. He was positive the professor didn't believe him before Nile stepped up and agreed for the part that he there for.

Snape shook his head "I...Never in my years have I actually been at a loss of words. I suppose a thank you is in order Mr. Dine. Without you we would have surely had to close the school down."

Marcus smiled as the teachers started casting charms on the dragon until it eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Snape herded everyone out of the forest and back to the school where Dumbledore was waiting for them along with Filch who looked incredibly mad, madder than usual.

"They should be punished Headmaster!" he said angrily.

"Argus, without this boys noble actions all of us would have surely perished agonizingly painful deaths at the hands of the dragons. No he shall not be punished, quite the opposite in fact! It would appear that our dear friend Mr. Scamander can foresee the future Mr. Dine because he sent me this to give to you!" the Headmaster said handing Marcus a small box.

The boy slowly opened it and brought out a small ring, it was a full finger ring made from a hard white material, the ring was in the shape of a dragon coiling around his finger, and the dragons eyes were made from rubies.

"That is made from dragon bone, very hard to craft. I expect great things from you Mr. Dine." Dumbledore said with a smile.

Marcus smiled back before he looked at his friends "My friends helped me though. I never would have been able to do this without them. They deserve praise as well."

Dumbledore nodded before he walked back with the other teachers.

Marcus slipped the ring on his finger and it fit perfectly, he smiled before he was crushed in a hug.

All of his friends hugged him and they were all laughing and congratulating him, Marcus could not have been happier.

Nile handed Nax back to him and the dragon was ecstatic to see he was okay and curled up in his hand in excitement.

Marcus laughed as he hugged them all back "We did it guys! Now all that's left is finals, and the house cup...and the Dueling Club. Oh wow we still have a lot to do!" he said laughing again.

They all laughed too as they all walked back into the school, that was when Anna slipped her hand into Marcus's.

He blushed brightly as he looked down and saw Anna rubbing her thumb over his ring, then she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you Mark." she said.

Marcus broke into a large grin...

He couldn't wait for his second year!

 **Still one more chapter for his first year and then we move onto his second year! PLEASE REVIEW ON WHAT YOU THINK! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYEEEEE!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Practice Courtyard**

Students gathered around Marcus and Dan as they talked about the rules of the Dueling Club battle. Dan was running through what counted as a point and what didn't, Marcus wasn't listening anymore as he looked at Anna few feet away from him.

She had kissed his cheek but after that they never talked about it. Marcus wasn't good with girls but he was sure a kiss on the cheek meant she liked him...Right?

As he thought about this Dan bumped his shoulder and jarred him back to reality "Marcus? You listening?" he asked.

Marcus nodded pulling his gaze away from the girl "Okay let's get started! One round and last man standing is the winner! Leaders I hope you trained your teams well!"

Marcus and Dan hopped on their brooms and flew above the courtyard to get an aerial view of the fight, Madame Hooch was hovering with them as well, a few teachers were also watching from a distance.

Hooch blew her whistle and all hell broke loose on the courtyard.

Charms flew and were deflected, people were shouting and screaming, and others were being disarmed and shouting curse words out of anger.

Marcus saw Cedric blasting opponents left and right and blocking without even breaking a sweat. Nile was blocking and even deflected a few charms into other people knocking them down. The Ravenclaw leader was shouting orders and her team blasted a volley all at once disarming a number of students in one blast. Anna was swinging around students blasting them and even using a few students as human shields.

Marcus was intently focusing on Anna as she blasted the Ravenclaw leader, then deflected a blast from Cedric.

Nile shouted an order to his teammates and they all simply kept their shields up and ricocheted charms into random students.

As Nile turned to shout another order Cedric disarmed him and slowly his whole team was disarmed as well.

Eventually is was only two people, Anna versus Cedric.

Both were sweating as they kept deflecting and casting, they seemed evenly matched and eventually even the two teams that were out were cheering for one of the two.

Eventually Marcus saw the mistake, Anna fired and Cedric didn't block, instead he dove to the ground as he shot back.

Anna's wand flew out of her hand and Madame Hooch blew her whistle to signal the end of the match.

Marcus and Dan flew back down "Cedric's team wins!" Dan shouted and his whole team erupted in cheers.

Cedric was smiling as he wiped his forehead "Man Anna you are pretty strong!" he said with a laugh.

Anna shook his hand and smiled "Likewise."

Marcus instantly felt jealousy building up in his stomach as their handshake lingered a little too long then he would have liked.

After Madame Hooch flew down and started talking about what winning entails Professor Sprout came up to Marcus.

"Mr. Dine? It's time we moved the Devils Snare I mentioned a few months ago. People are heading to the Great Hall so this is the perfect opportunity."

Marcus nodded as he walked with the teacher, all the students immediately parted as he walked through. Once everyone heard that he was practically an alpha dragon people tended to not piss him off or tease him.

He took one more look at Anna who was deep in conversation with Cedric and Marcus glared at them before following his Head of House.

 **Third Floor Corridor**

 _"Incendio!"_ Marcus shouted and the Devil Snare screeched but retracted its vine from the statue and finally settled in the large pit that he and Sprout had carefully placed it in.

The whole time Marcus couldn't wrap his head around the whole Anna thing. Did she like him? She seemed like she did but now she barely spoke to him after that small kiss.

The thought made his heart ache and he almost blasted his hand off when he cast the final spell "Now what?" he asked.

Professor Sprout turned to him "Now you head to the Great Hall! Closing ceremonies are important! I'll see you next year Mr. Dine!" she said cheerily.

Marcus nodded and made his way to the Great Hall, he walked through the large doors and quickly found his friends all sitting and chatting.

He sat down next to Sam, who was grinning like a maniac, as Dumbledore gave his final announcements. He looked over and saw Anna a few seats down talking and laughing with Cedric, he started glaring again until Sam nudged him to pay attention.

"Another year gone, once again this year was not normal. Dragons were released and were wreaking havoc. Were it not for a few brave students I fear this would have been the final year of Hogwarts. Which is why Professor Sprout and Professor Snape had a few last minute points to announce."

Dumbledore moved out of the way as Sprout and Snape walked over to the podium, Snape went first.

"Yes well, some of you were not total failures. Thirty points each for Nile Grudge and Daniel Barnes for outstanding acts of courage against whatever dark forces were at work here." he announced.

Slytherin house erupted in cheers and then Sprout called for silence as she started speaking.

"Not to take the words out of Snapes mouth but yes, many of you performed well but only a few of you showed true courage against truly devastating odds. Twenty points to Anna Trace, Cedric Diggory, and Samuel Millegan. As for the Mr. Marcus Dine, fifty points for committing a truly impossible feat of strength!" she announced.

Hufflepuff house cheered loudly and Marcus gave everyone a high five and Nax, who had been sleeping in his robe until Slytherin house started cheering, blew fire above Marcus in celebration. Streaks, who was laying near the corner of the Hufflepuff table barked excitedly and started running down the aisles barking and bumping the tables violently. No one even bothered trying to stop him everyone even the teachers were used to it by now.

Dumbledore finally calmed everyone down "And now the final tally of house points!"

The room grew deadly silent as Dumbledore conferred with the Heads of House for a couple seconds before looking back out to the students.

"In fourth place is Ravenclaw with four hundred and thirty points! Third place is Gryffindor with four hundred and eighty points! Second place is Slytherin with five hundred and fifty seven points! And lastly Hufflepuff takes first place with six hundred and ten points! Hufflepuff wins the house cup!"

Hufflepuff cheered again and no one could contain them! Everyone started hugging and thanking Marcus and his friends for the points.

He looked over and saw Anna staring at him, she pointed to the doors and walked out into the hall.

Marcus caught on and followed her out as everyone ate and cheered.

When he stepped out he saw her sitting on one of the stone benches, he hesitantly sat down next to her.

"So are you and Cedric...like together now?" he blurted out before he could think.

Anna laughed loudly "Of course not! I don't like him like that!"

Marcus felt a huge weight lift off of him and then felt ashamed that he got mad because nothing was going on between the two and he shouldn't have been jealous.

Anna had scooted closer to him and he blushed furiously "So...um...is their someone that you _do_ like?" he asked.

She snapped her fingers softly and Marcus couldn't help it but he started tapping his ring finger on the bench, the bone was making a loud clacking sound against the stone.

She took his hand hand and hoped to every higher power in existence that his palms weren't as sweaty as he thought they were.

"I actually do like someone but I don't know if he likes me back." she said with a small smile.

Marcus turned his head and looked into her sapphire eyes and completely forgot how to breath.

He kept scolding himself "You can face down a literal pack of dragons but you can't talk to a freaking girl?!"

"W-W-Who...Who do you...like?" he stuttered out.

Anna smiled knowingly before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

Marcus completely forgot how to think, his brain shutdown as he tried to register what was happening in that moment.

He cupped her chin and kissed back, when they pulled apart they both were blushing up a storm.

"I'm guessing I'm that guy?" he asked and she slapped him upside the head.

He couldn't hold in the laugh that erupted from his mouth, when he finally calmed down Anna rolled her eyes before kissing his cheek and taking his hand in hers.

They were about to kiss again but the door flew open revealing Sam, Cedric, Nile, and Dan all talking before they stopped dead and stared at the two students.

"Oh I called it! Pay up Grudge!" Dan shouted with a grin and Nile grumbled before he handed over some money to the fellow Slytherin.

Marcus rolled his eyes as he stood up and looked at Dan who was happily counting his winnings.

"So are you sure you don't want to stay with me and Nile at my parents mansion? Their is plenty of room and they said you are more than welcome while they search for your parents."

Dan nodded "Cedric actually offered his home and I think I'm going to stay with him. I'll see you guys next Fall though! You aren't getting rid of me that easily!"

Cedric patted him on the back as they walked out of the hall, Sam and Nile following close behind.

Anna giggled and kissed his cheek again making him blush again.

"I'll see you next term! You better write!" she said seriously and Marcus laughed before holding his hands up in surrender.

"Everyday! I swear!"

Anna nodded in approval before giving him one final kiss "I'll see you in a few months then Mark! Have a good summer!"

Then she walked off and turned a corner out of sight.

Marcus grinned as he felt his cheek and accidentally poked his face with the sharp bone ring.

He heard a hissing sound and noticed that Nax was flying above him laughing.

"Oh shut up!"

Nax flew onto his shoulder as he made his way back to the common room...

Ready to head home!

 **END OF YEAR ONE!**

 **NEXT CHAPTER IS THE START OF HIS SECOND YEAR AND HARRY POTTER WILL BE A PART OF IT! THAT'S RIGHT WE ARE DOING THIS BY THE BOOK PEOPLE! PLEASE REVIEW! LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Year Two**

Marcus wasn't nervous as he and Nile walked through the platform together. His parents and Nile had really gotten along over the summer and it's basically like nothing ever happened between the two of them.

However no matter how much they searched while his parents weren't home they couldn't find anything about whatever it was Marcus had seen in his dreams. He had originally thought his parents were a part of it but that was before his family reunion.

In his memory the person that cast the charm had called him "Son" and he thought it was his father but then his uncles and distant cousins called him the same thing. Whatever these Knights were they were connected to his family and he had a sneaking suspicion that the Knights were responsible for the kidnapping of Daniels parents.

Marcus decided to leave his pet dog Streaks at home, mostly because the teachers were really not happy with him last year, but also because he didn't need his dog anymore to calm him down he had his friends.

He wrote to his friends everyday letting them know what he and Nile had discovered, what little it was, and tried to get their insight.

He especially wrote to his girlfriend Anna, after their kiss last year he never wanted anything more over the three months than to see her and his friends again.

All of this rushed through his head as they passed through the platform and saw the Hogwarts Express.

They both said goodbye to Marcus's parents and hopped on the train.

After they had settled their stuff in their booth their was a knock on the door, they turned and saw Sam, Cedric, and Dan all smiling at them.

"Guys!" Marcus said as he pulled them all into a hug.

Suddenly a plume of fire burned a hole through the chest of his sweater and Nax, his pet Hungarian Horntail, crawled out and took in his surroundings.

Everyone laughed as they stared at the large smoldering hole in his sweater and shirt while Nax simply took flight and flew around the train.

"NAX! Get back here!" he shouted in Drakkantongue, the language of dragons which he had perfected over the summer.

Nax laughed "So much space! Unlike your clothes of doom you call a sweater!" he shouted back although to everyone except Marcus all they heard was a tiny roar and hissing.

A few first years screamed as they saw the small dragon fly by, Marcus pushed past them "Isn't it something? Bye!" he said quickly as he ran through the next car.

He pushed through a few younger students when suddenly he heard "I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Marcus stopped dead in his tracks and looked into the cart where a young boy with glasses was talking with another boy with red hair and freckles.

He didn't say anything because right in that moment he heard another scream down at the end of the car.

He bolted and passed a young girl asking if he had seen a toad, he ran into the next cart and found an interesting scene.

Everyone in the cart looked to be a first year and was cowering in fear except for the girl with long black hair that was petting the dragon and cooing "I missed you too!"

She looked up to the second year that was out of breath and her sapphire eyes left him breathless like they did every time he looked into them.

"Mark!" Anna shouted and wrapped her arms around his neck and pecking his cheek.

Marcus chuckled as he kissed her back and wrapped his arms around her.

They were like that for a long time before they realized that all of the first years were still cowering.

"Guys he's harmless watch! Nax are you going to hurt anyone here?" he asked.

Nax snorted "Absolutely! Just give the order sir!" he retorted.

"Okay you know what yeah keep cowering he's in a sour mood." Marcus said to the children.

Some whimpered as Nax flew around the room and blew fire, then one girl lifted her head up "Hey I know you! You're Marcus Dine! You're the guy that can talk to dragons!" she said in awe.

Marcus nodded and whistled sharply, which made Nax swing back and land on his shoulder.

"Is it true you killed a dragon with your bare hands?!" one asked with wide eyes.

"No I heard he talked them into killing each other!" another said.

Marcus tried to speak but they kept asking ridiculous questions that were completely untrue.

Eventually he shrugged and took Anna's hand and they walked out of the car "We are in the last car! They are so excited to see you!"

Anna smiled as they walked away and then as they passed the car where he heard Harry Potter speak he peered in and saw the two boys and the girl from before deep in conversation.

He didn't think anything of it and they made their way to the back of the train.

After a big reunion hug among them they all sat down.

Marcus, Anna, and Sam all sat on one side with Cedric, Nile, and Dan on the other.

"So did you guys hear? Harry Potter is coming to Hogwarts!" Sam said.

Marcus nodded "I saw him when I was chasing Nax, gotta say he did not look like someone who could take down the dark lord."

Nile gave him an amused look "Dude he took him out when he was a baby I doubt most babies look like they can take down an evil psychopath!"

Everyone laughed as they agreed with him.

They all fell into comfortable silence and watched the scenery pass by them, eventually Marcus felt Anna rest her head on his shoulder and she fell asleep.

He wrapped his arm around her and held her close as the Sun dipped into the horizon.

"Time for a new year!" he said happily.

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	22. Chapter 22

**Later that Evening**

Everyone grabbed their stuff and shuffled out.

"Are you coming Marcus?" Cedric asked curiously, he looked at Anna who was still asleep on his shoulder.

"I'll be a minute. See you guys on the platform."

Cedric nodded before leaving with the others, Marcus looked at the girl asleep on his shoulder and smiled, he really was lucky. He cared for Anna, he had never had a girlfriend though and he wasn't exactly sure what he should do.

Should he wake her up? They had to leave but he couldn't help noticing how peaceful she looked asleep. Eventually he made a decision and softly shook her, she didn't budge. He nudged her some more, she didn't stir. He looked at his full finger dragon bone ring and sighed as he poked the sharp material into her side.

Anna gasped a little before her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, sorry for that. You are a really deep sleeper." Marcus said with a blush.

Anna blushed too "My parents say the same thing. It takes so long for my parents to get me up in the morning."

Marcus smiled and wanted to ask how to be a good boyfriend to her but then he bit his tongue, if he asked that he probably wouldn't be a good boyfriend.

Instead he helped her get her stuff down and they walked off the train together.

As they stepped off the train they saw all of the first years hopping on the boats, they quickly ran down the road to catch up with their friends.

They threw their stuff down with all of the rest at the entrance to the school grounds, which made Nax started shouting insults in his cage, and quickly jumped into the final carriage that all their friends were in.

Marcus and Anna were out of breath, which made Dan and Cedric laugh loudly "Teaches you guys for making out!" Dan said.

They both blushed furiously before they heard a tapping sound, they looked over and found Professor Snape standing next to the carriage looking as mad as ever.

"Mr. Dine you will have to come with me right now!"

Marcus wasn't one to go against Professor Snape so he nodded and gave Anna a quick peck on the cheek before climbing down.

As they started down the road Professor Snape was glaring at nothing but Marcus didn't push. Finally he couldn't take the silence anymore "So what did you need me for Professor?"

Snape glared at him before he held out his arm "Grab my arm we need to get to the school before any of the other students."

Marcus was hesitant but the second he grabbed his arm everything spun, the wind rushed in his ears, and he couldn't even see.

When everything came into view he was standing in the front courtyard, Marcus stumbled around trying to get his bearings as Professor Sprout and Hagrid walked towards them.

"Ah Mr. Dine! Wonderful to see you again! We need your help with something before the term starts." Sprout said as they all walked through the halls.

They made their way into the third floor corridor and into the room where he and Professor Sprout had placed the Devils Snare the year before.

He was not expecting a massive three headed dog as he opened the door, he shrieked so loudly Snape winced.

The dog growled but Hagrid stepped up "Fluffy! Down boy!" he ordered and then he pulled out a small instrument that looked like a flute.

He played a small little jingle and the dog listed to the side before collapsing and started snoring loudly.

Marcus was still terrified but he helped Snape move the massive paw from the trap door he recalled from last year.

"We must check the Devils Snare and make sure their are no holes Mr. Dine, Professor Snape shall go further in to make sure the rest of the defenses are in order and Hagrid shall keep Fluffy here at bay." Sprout said.

Marcus nodded as the trio made their way down until they were in the large room filled with Devils Snare, it had grown immensely from last year.

Marcus took out both his wands and started placing protective charms around them before he pointed his other wand _"Incendio!"_

A blast of fire erupted nearby and a small hole opened up in the plant, Sprout then helped Snape through the hole and then the plant covered the hole and Snape vanished from sight.

Professor Sprout and Marcus made their way out of the pit and found Hagrid scratching the massive dogs ears "Snape still down there?"

Sprout nodded as she wiped some sweat and smiled "The year has not started but ten points to Hufflepuff for helping us without question. It truly shows respect and loyalty to Hogwarts to trust the staff like you do Mr. Dine."

Marcus smiled and said goodbye as he made his way down the corridor and towards the Great Hall.

He walked into the room and saw his friends all looking around for him, he smiled as he walked towards them.

They saw him and waved him over, he sat down just as the massive door opened and all of the first years made their way down the room.

Mcgonagall started to announce names and the first person Hermione something or other was sorted into Gryffindor.

A girl named Susan was called up and sorted into Hufflepuff, everyone cheered as she sat down at the table.

Then a blonde boy named Draco Malfoy was called.

Marcus groaned he knew the Malfoy family and they were pretentious snobs, he wasn't surprised when the hat called "Slytherin!" before it even touched his head.

After that Ronald Weasley was called and Marcus saw the red haired boy from the train step up, Cedric had told him that he lived near the Weasely family.

He was sorted into Gryffindor which was no surprise but then the room went silent as the next name was called.

"Harry Potter."

Everyone started murmuring and trying to catch a glimpse of the young boy.

It was the same boy that Marcus had seen on the train and as the hat was placed it seemed to have a full conversation with the boy.

After a minute or two it shouted "Gryffindor!" and cheering came from that very table as he sat down.

Once everyone was sorted the feast began and everyone started eating as much as they could, Sam dove into the turkey and practically ate the whole thing.

Anna was enjoying a plate of chicken and salad.

Marcus and Cedric were too busy to have a conversation as they were seeing who could eat more chicken wings. Marcus was scarfing down three at a time while the third year across from him inhaled them.

Eventually he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned and found three first years standing behind him "Are you Marcus Dine?" one asked.

Marcus nodded before he realized how he looked with ten chicken wings stuffed in his mouth, he turned and swallowed before facing them.

"Yes I am, what can I do for you?" he asked.

They kids all looked nervous before one stepped up "We wanted to know if you could show us how to duel."

Marcus laughed before nodding "Dueling Club starts next week. Talk to Daniel Barnes in Slytherin house or Cedric Diggory here if you have any more questions about it if you can't find me okay?"

The trio nodded before walking back to their spots, then he went back to his plate only to find it empty.

He looked up and saw Cedric stuffing the last wing in his mouth before raising his hands in victory.

Marcus laughed as he handed him a few galleons, which made Sam laugh as he finished the turkey.

Anna giggled before she leaned over and kissed his cheek which made Marcus grin as he wrapped his arm around her.

"I think I'm the real winner Diggory!"

Cedric rolled his eyes and made a face which looked even weirder with all the wings in his mouth.

Marcus completely lost it after that.

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	23. Chapter 23

**Defense Against the Dark Arts**

Marcus sat down in class with Sam, Dan, and a Gryffindor named Oliver at his table.

Professor Quirrell walked in and he started stuttering as he talked about evil creatures and dark wizards.

Sam groaned in annoyance as he tried to take notes but with the stuttering it was slow and taxing.

Marcus nudged him as the professor took out a chameleon and started explaining how some creatures can camouflage when the door opened.

Professor Mcgonagall walked in and the whole class turned to face her.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion professor but can I borrow Wood for a moment?" she asked and Quirrell nodded shakily.

Oliver got up and walked out of the class as the professor continued with his lecture.

"And th-this is a d-d-dragon. V-Very dangerous c-creatures!" he said as he brought out a small miniature dragon that reminded him of Nax, who was probably burning the common room down.

"It has b-b-been sedated and d-defanged so it sh-shouldn't hurt you." he explained as the small dragon looked up at him.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you! I swear by my dragon brothers that I shall burn you to ash!" it shouted.

Marcus suppressed a laugh as the dragon kept threatening the professor without him even knowing.

"And after that I shall burn my way across this land! Striking fear into all who oppose me! I shall take great joy in burning you warm bloods!" it shouted as Quirrell put the creature back in the cage.

Marcus snickered and Dan kept trying to calm him down but then the dragon simply started screaming insults and Marcus lost it.

He fell to the ground hugging his stomach laughing with tears in his eyes.

Professor Quirrell waited for him to calm down before he shakily asked Marcus to leave the class.

Marcus groaned but a grin was plastered across his face as he left the class, he had mastered the dragon language over the summer but he still couldn't figure out how to tune out loud and obnoxious dragons like the one in class or Nax.

He made his way down to the common room and surprisingly their were no fires, he walked into the bedroom and found Nax snoring in his cage.

Marcus opened up his trunk and took out his dueling captain uniform, DADA was his last class of the day so he quickly changed and then he woke up Nax.

"Why have you awoken me peasant!?" he shouted and Marcus rolled his eyes before throwing him a piece of fish.

"Dueling Club is starting in an hour and you need some flying space." he said, Nax was devouring the fish but mumbled an agreement.

Marcus took Nax out of the cage and he flew around the room roaring, then the door opened and a first year walked in and stopped when he saw the dragon.

"Ah! Dragon!" he shouted as he drew his wand, Marcus jumped forward and grabbed the kids arm.

"Don't even think about it kid, that's my dragon and he won't hurt anyone." he said and the first year still looked scared but nodded.

"What's your name anyway?" Marcus asked and the boy eyed the dragon but eventually turned his gaze to him.

"Justin Finch Fletchley"

Marcus nodded "Don't touch my dragon alright?"

Justin nodded and he whistled as he left, Nax flew past Justin and landed on his shoulder.

He walked out of the common room and made his way down the hall when he bumped into Draco Malfoy leaving his common room with his two lackeys.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Dragon King! What a useless talent!" he snorted.

Marcus just stared at him, he hadn't even provoked him and he had been insulted, he wasn't going to take that.

"Right because being able to tell dragons to eat you is a horrible thing. All I have to do is whisper that to Nax here and you're a goner!" he shot back.

Malfoy went wide eyed as he looked at the small Horntail baring its fangs at him.

He gulped before shoving Marcus out of the way and going up the stairs.

Marcus smirked as he walked into the dueling room and started setting up the room, he had Nax light the torches and then he heard a loud bang.

He frowned and walked out of the room and into the hall, he surveyed the dungeons dark corridors but saw nothing.

Then he heard footsteps approaching and Marcus pushed against the corner and heard voices.

"Why are you down here Quirrell?!" the angry voice of Professor Snape asked.

"Snape I...I-I-I don't know wh-wh-what you mean!" the stuttering teacher asked.

Marcus heard Snape huff in an unconvinced manner "Watch yourself Quirrell! I will be keeping a close eye on you!"

The footsteps receded and Marcus peered around the corner to see Snape walking up the stairs.

Marcus let out a deep breath as he walked back into the dueling room.

"What was that about?!" he wondered.

He didn't think about it for long because eventually Dan walked into the room wearing his matching uniform looking glum.

"What's wrong Dan?" Marcus asked.

Dan shook his head "My parents. Still no sign of them."

Marcus sighed heavily as he sat down and Dan sat next to him "Don't worry, we'll find them and whoever took them is going to pay!"

Dan nodded and gave a small smile just as the door opened and a large group of students walked in.

Marcus was shocked as he looked at the massive amount of students in front of him but he and Dan stood up to address them.

After they had gone over the official rules Dan started talking about protective charms.

Suddenly the door flew open and Mcgonagall walked in holding a rolled up parchment.

Your attention please! By the order of Headmaster Dumbledore the Dueling Club is hereby cancelled until further notice!"

Marcus and Dan both stared at the teacher in shock, all of the students started mumbling as they left the room.

Marcus jumped down and ran up to Mcgonagall "Professor why is it shutdown?! We are very safe and we make sure to teach shield charms first!"

She shook her head "I am sorry Mr. Dine but these are from the Headmaster and he always has his reasons for doing these sort of things."

After that she left the room leaving Dan and Marcus...

In an empty room with no purpose.

 **PLEASE REVIEW! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYYYEEEEEEEE!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Headmasters Office**

"Sorry Professor Dumbledore you know I have the utmost respect for you and that I would never question your reasoning but what in the name of Merlin is wrong with you?!" Marcus shouted.

Dumbledore looked a little surprised at the outburst but quickly collected himself "It is not safe to have a Dueling Club this year Mr. Dine. I apologize for this I cannot go into further detail but I simply need you to trust me."

Marcus had his hands on the large desk and was tapping his bone ring against the wood before he huffed "Of course sir, you have never given me a reason not to."

Dumbledore nodded to signal the meeting was over and Marcus walked out of the door.

When he reached the end of the hall he saw Professor Quirrell walking towards him "Ah M-Mr. Dine! M-M-Mind if I a-a-ask you a q-question?"

Marcus shrugged and they sat down.

"The th-th-third floor I h-hear you w-w-were a part of that."

Marcus nodded and wondered why he was so curious, he was staff and the staff knew about whatever it was that they were guarding.

"Wh-What did you h-help Sprout with?" he asked.

Marcus frowned in confusion "The Devils Snare sir. Right after the massive dog. Surely you know about it, don't you?"

Quirrell gave a scared look before he smiled "O-Of course! Ju-Just making s-s-sure you haven't t-t-told anyone."

Marcus shook his head "Of course not sir, Sprout said not to tell the students about it."

Quirrell nodded before standing up and walking away without another word, Marcus sat there for a few minutes wondering what just happened before he shook it out of his mind and walked down the hall.

 **Halloween Night**

"One more! Come on Cedric! One more!" Sam shouted as the third year put another marshmallow in his mouth.

Marcus was cheering him on as he was keeping score he had broken his record by a landslide but he didn't care.

He looked to his side and saw that Anna wasn't with them, he looked around and couldn't spot her.

Sam was too busy with Cedric that he decided to head over to the Slytherin table.

"Hey Dan, hey Nile!" he said as he slid in next to his friends on the end of the table.

"Hey Marky what's up?" Nile asked and Marcus noticed Malfoy glaring at him, he rolled his eyes before turning to his friends.

"Have you seen Anna?"

Nile shook his head but Dan snapped his fingers "Oh yeah she was with me in the library about an hour ago, trying to find some reference of those Knights you were talking about. Last I saw her she said she was gonna skip dinner and maybe study some ingredients in the potions classroom."

Marcus nodded and got up when suddenly the door flew open and Quirrell ran in looking terrified.

"TROLL! IN THE DUNGEON!"

After a brief moment of panic Dumbledore told the Prefects to escort the houses back to their common rooms.

Marcus was about to follow them when he realized something.

Anna was in dungeons!

He noticed the Prefect was not looking his way and he quickly ducked down the hall towards the dungeons.

He found the potions class and it was empty, he started panicking as he ran down the twisting halls.

Only to run straight into Anna knocking them both to the ground.

OW! Mark are you okay?! What was that?!" she demanded until they heard a crash nearby.

They both got to their feet as booming footsteps approached them, Anna started to say something but Marcus quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her into the broom closet nearby, leaving the door open slightly so they weren't locked in.

"Don't...make...a sound." he said in a whisper.

The footsteps grew louder and louder and they could hear a scraping sound like a tree being dragged on stone.

He gulped hard as loud grunting and moaning was heard and a large shadow passed over the faint light of the door.

Then the footsteps stopped right outside the closet.

The two Hufflepuffs became deadly silent as the door opened ever so slightly by a large club, then a door was heard slamming in the distance and it vanished.

The footsteps started again and they grew fainter and fainter until they couldn't hear it anymore.

Marcus let go of Anna and they both exhaled and laughed at the stroke of luck, they stepped out of the closet into the empty corridor.

They looked down the hall in the direction the troll had gone "That leads out of the dungeon." Anna said.

Suddenly they heard lots of crashing and shouting in the distance "Come on!" Marcus said and grabbed Anna's hand to get out of there.

Only to run right into Mcgonagall, Snape, and Quirrell.

"Mr. Dine! Ms. Trace! To your dormitories immediately! We will discuss punishment later!" Mcgonagall shouted.

Just then Flitwick turned the corner "No sign of the troll Minerva."

"We know where it went! Down there! Almost killed us!" Anna said pointing down the hall.

Mcgonagall nodded "Filius take these two to their dormitories right now! Let's go!"

The three professors ran down the hall while Flitwick escorted them through the halls until they reached the common room.

"You two in there now, I suspect you will be speaking to your Head of House very soon."

Marcus and Anna walked into the common room and were immediately tackled in a hug.

"We thought you guys were goners!" Cedric said laughing as Sam hugged the life out of his friends.

"We almost were! I have never been more scared in my life!" Anna said as she explained what happened.

Cedric clapped Marcus on the back "Are you sure you aren't a Gryffindor Dine?"

Marcus blushed slightly before Anna grabbed his hand and kiss him on the cheek "Doesn't matter, he's mine!"

He broke into a large grin just as the door opened and Professor Sprout walked into the room, a frown on her usually cheery face.

"Mr. Dine? Ms. Trace? Come with me immediately!" she said sternly.

They both gulped as they exited with the professor, when they were out in the hall she turned.

"Ms. Trace it was not wise of you to be alone in the halls at night, ten points from Hufflepuff! As for you Mr. Dine, although what you did was courageous and may very well have saved Ms. Traces life it was incredibly reckless and went against a direct order from the Headmaster."

Marcus started sweating and was starting to panic.

"As such, five points from Hufflepuff. It would be more but like I said you saved Ms. Traces life."

Marcus let out a sigh of relief and hugged Anna.

"Oh, and you have detention! Both of you." she said finally.

Marcus and Anna both were about to protest but then figured that worst things could have happened.

"I will see you in detention tomorrow, have a nice night!" she said as her cheery self again.

Marcus didn't sleep a wink that night.

 **Do you guys like this story? I really have no idea if I'm doing a good job on this or not. Please let me know in reviews! LOVE YOU GUYS! BYYYYYEEEEE!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Herbology Greenhouse**

"You know I understand we should not have been out of the common room but is this really necessary?!" Anna whined as she and Marcus moved the potted Mandrakes into the the plant rooms careful not to disturb the plants.

Marcus wiped off some sweat "To be fair we were literally in the trolls path so yeah kind of."

Anna rolled her eyes as the door opened, they looked up and to their surprise saw Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger standing there.

"Hi, sorry but we heard that you guys almost got attacked by the troll?" Harry asked.

Marcus nodded but Anna blushed and smiled widely "Yeah it was no biggie. I heard you guys knocked it out!"

Marcus looked at his girlfriend confused. Why was she suddenly all smiley and happy?

Harry nodded before they trio shut the door "We wanted to ask you something about that night."

Anna nodded and basically started gushing over Harry, Marcus stared at her with a mix of hurt and confusion.

As Anna was recounting the story Harry was asking specific questions about Professor Snape he noticed.

Marcus started getting a little angry with how Anna was smiling and flipping her hair while talking to Harry but a thought made him momentarily forget his jealousy.

He walked over to Hermione, who he had heard was a total bookworm "Hey can I ask you something real quick?"

She nodded "Have you ever read or heard something about some society called the Knights? They have something to do with Morgan Le Fey?"

Hermione went wide eyed "Actually yes I have! Some ancient order that went extinct like two hundred years ago. They called themselves the Knights of Le Fey. Why do you ask?"

Marcus was a little shocked that he finally had a name down "I'm working on a study about it. You wouldn't happen to have any notes or a book about it would you?"

The first year nodded and promised she'd find it for him when Anna laughed loudly.

Marcus looked over and saw his girlfriend laughing and placing a hand on Harry's arm, anger and jealousy started bubbling in Marcus.

"Hey Anna? We should be heading to dinner right?!" he shouted with a glare.

Anna looked at him dropping her smile but nodded "See you soon Harry!"

She hopped up and took Marcus's hand as they left the greenhouse.

"Did you really have to do that in front of me?!" Marcus asked slightly irritated.

Anna frowned "Do what? I was just talking to Harry."

Marcus scoffed "You didn't look like you were just talking. It honestly didn't look very good on my end."

Anna rolled her eyes "Mark it's not a big deal! Don't overreact so much."

He clenched his jaw "So don't say anything when you clearly start openly flirting with someone like him?!"

She let go of his hand and he immediately missed the warmth of hers.

"Mark you are acting like a baby! It's Harry Potter! The boy who lived! Just because he's more popular than you doesn't mean you should get jealous!"

Marcus gave a shallow laugh "More popular?! You think I care about that?! Anna I don't care at all about how famous or popular he is! Seeing you flirt shamelessly with him right in front of me hurt! Like you didn't even care about how I felt!"

Anna glared at him "Mark listen to me, I do care about you I really do, but if you can't let me talk to other guys then I don't know how long we will last together!"

Panic immediately overwhelmed Marcus and his anger vanished, he didn't want to lose her, she was the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Okay okay...I'm...I'm sorry Anna. I just got jealous. You just seemed like you prefer Harry over me and I lost it."

Anna sighed and he could see her anger diminish as well.

"I'm sorry too Mark, I wasn't thinking. I was just so excited to talk to Harry Potter in the flesh that I didn't think about you. You mean more to me than Harry. You're my Dragon King!" she said.

Marcus gave a small smile at the idiotic nickname he received because of last year, he pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"And you are my Dueling Queen!" he said with a satisfied smirk as she gave him a playful punch in the arm.

After that they walked into the Great Hall happily and met with their friends who were already eating.

"What's up Marcus! You down for a Butterbeer drinking contest?" Cedric asked as he held up two massive glasses of the addictive drink.

Marcus couldn't resist and soon the two were guzzling down the warm liquid as fast as possible.

Sam and Anna were staring at the two dumbfounded as the drinks slowly disappeared down their throats.

Eventually Marcus felt the last of it enter his mouth and he dropped his glass a split second before Cedric.

"Yes! I win Diggory!" he said holding out his hand.

Cedric laughed "The usual bet?"

Marcus nodded and Cedric handed him two galleons which he happily shoved into his pockets.

After that they all dug in to the delicious food and Marcus saw Professor Snape limping towards him.

He wasn't sure why he was limping but he didn't focus on it much as Snape stopped right in front of them.

"Mr. Dine I would like to speak with you after dinner. In my classroom, we have important matters to discuss."

With that Snape walked away and Marcus was shocked that the professor just spoke without insulting someone.

He turned to his friends "What do you think he wants?"

His friends all shrugged.

He looked back at Snape who had sat down and was now glaring at Quirrell as they ate.

"Whatever it is I better not keep him waiting."

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	26. Chapter 26

**Dungeons**

Marcus made his way down the stairs running through his head what he could have done wrong to make Professor Snape want to see him after curfew.

As he walked into the potions class he saw Snape muttering to himself as he graded papers "Sit." was all he said without even looking up.

Marcus sat down and unintentionally started tapping his ring finger again, the bone being so loud in the silent room.

Snape eventually sighed and glared at him "Do you know what is down past that room with the Devils Snare you helped move last year?"

Marcus shook his head, Snape rolled his eyes "Very well you may leave."

He frowned that was it? That's all he wanted to know?

Marcus stood up and started walking away when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, he yelped and instinctively grabbed his head and turned around.

Snape was placing a strand of his hair in a vial "What was that?!" Marcus asked.

Snape glared at him "Need to know basis Mr. Dine."

Normally Marcus would have been scared but he didn't care in that moment.

"Need to know?! You just ripped out a piece of my hair! What can I not know that would give you permission to rip out my hair?!" he demanded.

The Potions teachers glare became darker and Marcus glared right back standing his ground.

Finally Snape rolled his eyes and motioned for him to follow.

Marcus complied as Snape pulled out a dusty book and opened it to a page that looked so brittle he thought his breath might disintegrate it.

"Dumbledore wished to let you know himself but being a stubborn and truly annoying student you have to push. I am researching this." he explained pointing at a page.

Marcus stared at the page in bewilderment "Animagi? Isn't that turning into an animal at will?"

Snape nodded as he looked at the vial in his hand "It requires the hair of the person that wishes to become one."

Marcus backed up "Whoa whoa whoa! Are you telling me that you plan to make me an animagus?!"

Snape groaned in annoyance "Yes Mr. Dine, but not against your will. Dumbledore asked me to brew the potion for you as you would not be able to with all of your classes taking up your time."

He was still trying to wrap his mind around everything "No wait! Why?! Why do you want me to become an animagus?! Also maybe I don't want to!"

Snape stood up and looked ready to smack Marcus but breathed in for a moment "Dumbledore trusts you, for reasons I cannot even begin to understand but...he believes that if you were an animagus it will greatly help with whatever it is that he is planning."

The second year shook his head "Okay I have trusted him this far and never questioned him but this is a little too much don't you think?!"

The teacher glared again "Would you rather You-know-who return and kill us all?"

Marcus backed up a little, "That's a little extreme don't you think?"

He shook his head "Not at all Mr. Dine! It's only a matter of time before he returns and we need all the help we can get."

"But how does being an animagus help?! What does that accomplish?!"

Snape sighed "I haven't the faintest idea Mr. Dine but I have learned never to doubt Headmaster Dumbledore."

Marcus didn't know what Dumbledore had planned but in that moment he was furious "Well, maybe now's a good time! This is a big thing to ask of someone professor!"

Snape sneered "He has asked bigger from even less important people Mr. Dine!"

"Oh really?! Like from former Death Eaters?!"

As soon as he said it he knew he messed up, anger was evident in Snapes face as he grabbed Marcus by the arm and pushed him against the wall.

"You will listen well Mr. Dine! I do not care what your Auror parents told you! I am no longer a Death Eater and regret ever being one! I trust Dumbledore with my life because he is the best chance we have of vanquishing the Dark Lord once and for all!"

Marcus was terrified now, all of his confidence had left him as he stared at the man "I...I didn't mean anything..."

"Get...Out!" he said angrily.

Marcus scrambled out of Snapes grip and ran out of the room.

He ran into his common room and ignored all of the 'Hellos' from his friends as he ran into the bedroom.

He tossed and turned all night thinking about what had happened, and finally he couldn't take it anymore.

He sneaked out of bed and quickly put a robe over his pajamas and ran out of his common room.

Marcus made his way to the library, every so often he would hear footsteps or voices and he would duck into a dark corner or behind a statue.

Eventually he made his way into the dark library and ran to the bookshelves, he scanned through them until he found the one he was looking for on Animagi.

He sat down and made sure he was alone before he opened the book and started reading.

"Thirty days with a Mandrake Leaf..."

"Silver teaspoon with dew on it..."

"Hair of the person attempting to be an animagus..."

"Amato Animo Animato Animagus?"

"MR. DINE!" a voice shrieked.

Marcus whirled around to find Snape, Quirrell, and Filch all standing there. Filch was holding a broken lantern in one hand.

He gulped as he closed the book "I was just...I was..."

He didn't know what to say as Snape grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the library.

"Let's just see what Professor Dumbledore has to say about this!"

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	27. Chapter 27

**Headmasters Office**

"NEVER IN ALL MY YEARS MR. DINE!" Dumbledore rambled as he paced the room.

Marcus was whimpering like a puppy as Snape had a tight grip on his arm and wouldn't let go. Clearly he was still mad about his little blunder earlier in the Potions classroom.

"Professor Dumbledore sir...I was just..."

"SILENCE!" he roared.

Marcus cowered in fear as Dumbledore walked forward until they were inches from each other.

"You Mr. Dine have shown no regard for any school rules, you have put multiple people in danger, and even insulted our Potions Master! I have no choice but to..."

"What if I agree to be an animagus?!" he blurted out quickly.

Dumbledore stopped mid-sentence before he suddenly was smiling like his old self "See Severus he simply needed a little encouragement."

Snape rolled his eyes before letting go of the student and walking out without another word.

Marcus was standing there dumbfounded "You...You knew? You knew I was going to be in the library didn't you?"

Dumbledore gave an innocent look "Sit Mr. Dine, if you will not sleep then we might as well discuss my intentions."

Marcus hesitantly sat down and stared at the man in front of him.

"Yes Mr. Dine, I wish for you to become an animagus. No I do not want you to think I am forcing you to do this. This is completely your choice Marcus."

He gulped hard "Why? Why me first of all?"

Dumbledore spread his hands "Because of last year! Mr. Dine you have shown true courage facing those dragons on your own, but that is not all. You have blindly followed what I have asked of you and I thank you but maybe it's time for you to finally see."

Marcus's eyebrows shot up at Dumbledores words before he nodded.

Dumbledore sat back "The Dark Lord is not vanquished Mr. Dine. As a matter of fact I have reason to believe he may be in the school at this very moment."

Marcus gasped "How do you know sir?!"

Dumbledore shook his head "That I cannot explain but I assure you, he is still very much alive."

Marcus suddenly felt a chill run down his spine "Well then what are you waiting for?! Why aren't you calling the Ministry? Sending in the big guns?!"

Dumbledore gave an amused look "The Ministry would never believe me Mr. Dine. It has happened before and it shall happen again. It does not matter though I believe that the pieces are in place and we shall not have to worry about the Dark Lord this year."

Marcus was astounded and confused "What?! What is happening? Sir what are you saying?! What do you mean this year? Will he be coming back next year?! What's going on?!"

Dumbledore stood up and walked over to a small plate filled with water, he tapped it with his wand before calling Marcus over.

"Marcus I knew your parents in the first Wizarding War, that is why I am putting so much trust in you. They fought well and fought for the good of wizard kind. I implore you to not be scared and remain calm. This is a Pensieve, it allows me to show me any memories that are important or I may have forgotten." he explained.

Marcus was still confused but looked into the water, then he gave one more curious glance at the Headmaster before he shoved his head in the water.

It only took a few minutes but eventually Marcus shot his head up and stumbled back. He was gasping and breathing heavily as he tripped and knocked over a small table before he fell to the ground.

"What...What?! Dumbledore this...I don't know about this! This is ludicrous!" he said as he stood back up.

He had seen but a glimpse of the Wizard War and Dumbledore explaining his plan to Snape and the others.

Dumbledore nodded "Yes it is Mr. Dine, but is also the only way to defeat Voldemort once and for all."

Marcus finally got his breathing under control "I still don't understand why you want me to become an animagus."

Dumbledore nodded "Mr. Dine the reason I wish for you to become and animagus is so you can bend the rules."

He frowned confused before the Headmaster chuckled "The Ministry keeps a list of all registered animagi, you however shall not be registered. I need you to use this power to keep an eye on Harry Potter during his time here. It is vital that he remain protected until he is ready to face against the Dark Lord."

Marcus stood up "So what you are saying is, you want me to...spy on Harry Potter? As an animal?"

Dumbledore nodded and Marcus was simply taken back "But why me?! Mcgonagall makes a very convincing cat! I'm sure she could do it!"

"Ah but she has classes to teach Mr. Dine whereas you, the known rule breaker that you are, could easily spy and protect him without anyone suspecting anything."

Marcus couldn't fault his logic "What about my animagus form though? What if I turn into like...I don't know...a grizzly bear?! How can anyone spy on someone when they are a nine hundred pound behemoth?! This is all on the chance that my form is one that can be inconspicuous anywhere! Like a mouse or bird!"

Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder "Marcus, I shall repeat that this is your choice. Should at anytime you wish to no longer be a part of this then I will readily agree. Just remember that I am putting much faith in you just as you have in me."

Marcus wanted to argue, he wanted to shout how idiotic and destructive this plan was, but he thought back to the images he saw of death and chaos when You-know-who was alive and he never wanted to experience that first hand that was for sure.

"Alright! I'll do it!"

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	28. Chapter 28

**Potions Classroom**

"Mark are you sure you're okay? You've barely said a word these past few weeks." Anna said as they worked on brewing a polyjuice potion for class.

Marcus nodded with a smile, he didn't dare open his mouth without the possibility of spilling everything Dumbledore told him to keep secret.

After his discussion with Dumbledore and a very very VERY long discussion with all of the other teachers, Marcus agreed to become an animagus under very specific terms.

Dumbledore also agreed that Marcus won't have to even drink the potion until next year as he had said before the pieces had fallen into place this year.

Marcus stirred the potion, they had been working on this potion for over a month and it was their final grade for the year.

He was so wrapped up in everything he had learned that he did not hear Anna until it was too late "Mark! STOP!"

He had stirred for too long, the potion was bubbling furiously.

"Wha..."

The cauldron released a plume of sparks, liquid, and smoke that had Marcus coughing and gagging, he felt like his throat was closing and he couldn't breath.

Anna quickly ran over to Snape, he rushed towards the cabinets and grabbed a small vial of clear liquid.

He poured a few drops into the students mouth and suddenly Marcus felt his throat open again and his breathing was steady again.

"I'd say you are lucky to be alive Mr. Dine, a few more seconds and you most likely would have been nothing but a puddle of bones."

Marcus suddenly enjoyed every breath he was taking.

Snape told them to go to the infirmary to make sure he was okay, Anna agreed to help him.

"Well, there goes a month of hard work. Maybe now that you have destroyed our chances of an A you can tell me what's going on with you?!" she asked.

Marcus sighed, then he looked around to make sure they were alone, before he nodded "Follow me."

They quickly made their way through the halls and he was trying to find a place for them to talk without anyone hearing them when suddenly Anna yanked him to the side.

She pulled him into a storage closet and their faces were inches from each other, even though they were together the proximity still made him blush.

"Okay Mark, now tell me what is going on with you?"

Marcus wasn't exactly sure how much he could tell but he never got the chance because he heard a slamming sound in the distance.

They both peeked out of the room and saw Professor Quirrell walking down the hall with a glare and muttering to himself.

The two quickly made the decision to follow him, Anna gave a him a look that said 'We aren't done here' before they both ran after the professor.

They followed him from a distance quickly ducking behind a corner whenever he seemed like he was turning around, at one point they had to make out to appear like they were disinterested in what was going on. Marcus didn't object to this at all, which led to Anna shoving him as they continued following Quirrell.

As they followed him they realized he was walking to the third corridor, Marcus wasn't sure why he was going into there. He still had no idea what was being guarded but he knew Quirrell had no business being there.

They waited a moment, Marcus knew they would be caught if they opened the door too early as it was very loud, before they entered the corridor.

Quirrell was nowhere to be seen.

Marcus quickly ran down the hall with Anna trailing behind and pushed open the door that led to the trap door chamber.

When they walked in they saw that Fluffy the three headed dog was fast asleep, a harp was playing itself in the corner.

"What could Quirrell want with whatever's down there?" Marcus asked aloud.

"That is a very dangerous question Mr. Dine." a voice rang out ahead of them.

The Hufflepuffs looked up to see Professor Quirrell step out from behind the massive sleeping dog smiling widely.

"Professor what are you doing here!?" Marcus asked and the man simply laughed.

"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that and I'm also afraid I cannot let you live! _Petrificus Totalus!"_

Before either of them could speak both were hit by the body binding jinx and fell to the ground.

Quirrell chuckled as he opened the trap door and waved his wand to the duo.

Slowly both Marcus and Anna were pulled into the trapdoor and fell into the Devils Snare.

As the jinx began to wear off Quirrell stepped into the chamber and cast the stunning spell on both of them before descending down further past the massive plant.

The plant quickly wrapped around their legs and dragged them away until they were pressed against the wall, their wands falling out of their grips.

Marcus was choking at the vine around his neck, he looked over and saw Anna in the same predicament.

He wasn't sure how long they were like that, he could breath but just barely, he knew if he moved any more it might tighten and kill him.

He reached his hand out and tried to find anything he could grab to cut the vines but felt nothing.

Then another hand grabbed his and he could knew it was Anna, probably trying to reassure him but he didn't feel happier knowing he had practically killed himself and his girlfriend.

Suddenly he heard voices, he assumed it was from the lack of oxygen and his brain was playing tricks but then the vines started shaking under due to new weight hitting it.

The voices were muffled and he couldn't see anything, the plant had practically created a wall in front of them blocking them from view of anyone that would climb down.

Marcus started seeing black as the vine tightened and he couldn't breath at all.

Then he heard probably the greatest words ever.

 _"Lumos Solem!"_

The plant shrieked as sunlight burst through and the vines retracted.

Marcus fell to the ground coughing and retching as he grabbed his throat before he remembered Anna.

He looked over and saw her motionless, her complexion was pale and Marcus tried to fight tears as he shook her and she didn't move.

"Anna?! Anna?! Oh god!" he said as grabbed their wands and then he picked her up and slowly climbed out of the pit. As he was about to reach the top when another vine shot out and wrapped around his foot.

He screamed in pain as it pulled back and he could just barely touch the top of the room where the trapdoor had been ripped off.

He shouldered Anna before he pushed her up with all his strength and she went through the hole and landed on the other side.

Marcus didn't have time to celebrate as the vine pulled again, definitely breaking his leg, and he lost his grip.

He fell into the pit and the Devils Snare started to wrap around his legs, causing more pain.

Marcus drew his two wands and pointed them at the same spot, he gulped hoping this didn't kill him.

 _"Confringo Maxima!"_

Fire erupted from the center of the Devils Snare as the vines seemed to explode like they were fuses to a bomb.

The piece below him blew up and he fell through the plant and landed on his back just as the whole of the plant exploded above him.

Pieces of the plant fell onto him and one landed on his leg.

He didn't hold back tears at that point, the pain was overwhelming and he tried to reach for his wands that had fallen out of his grip but another piece of the plant fell onto his hand.

He felt the bone become crushed and he couldn't even scream at that point.

Then he blacked out.

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	29. Chapter 29

**Hospital Wing**

"Please wake up Mark. Please." a soft voice rang in his ears next to the piercing whistling.

Marcus wanted to open his eyes and say he would never leave his friends, but his eyelids were so heavy and he was so tired.

He blacked out again.

He regained consciousness again and heard a snippet of conversation across the room.

"So naturally the whole school knows."

"But Nicholas Flamel?"

He blacked out again.

When he finally came to fully he looked down and saw Anna, Nile, Sam, and Dan all asleep in chairs.

He shuffled up until he was sitting in the bed and winced in pain, his arm was in a sling and his leg was in a cast.

He looked around the room and saw that it was completely empty except for them.

"You're awake!" a voice said.

He gasped in fright from the sudden noise as he turned and saw Sam grinning like a maniac as he shook everyone else awake.

All of his friends sat up tackled him in hugs and smiles which didn't feel good with his arm in pain.

Eventually everyone calmed down and Marcus sighed as he sat back in the bed.

"What happened? Is everyone okay? What happened to Professor Quirrell?!" he asked.

Nile explained everything and Marcus sighed, Dumbledore had been right. Voldemort had returned in some form.

"Oh and because of what Harry Potter did Gryffindor won the House Cup." Dan added when Nile finished.

Marcus frowned "Wait they won? That's on the last day of school how long have I been out?!"

Everyone looked at each other before Sam cleared his throat "Four weeks, school ended two weeks ago."

"Then what are you all still doing here?!"

His friends all grinned at him "We would never leave our friend! The only reason Cedric left was so he could inform your parents about everything."

Marcus couldn't help the smile that grew on his face, until he heard the small roar.

He groaned as Nax flew down from the rafters in a dive bomb.

"Alive! I knew you would live warm blood!" he shouted and blew fire in the air, scaring all of his friends.

Marcus smiled "Good to see you too Nax I hope my friends took care of you."

Nax laughed "They tried! But my bite is worse than my bark!"

He was confused until he noticed all of the bandages on his friends arms, hands, and faces.

"Sorry guys, I really should leave a notebook on how to take care of Nax since I am always in the Infirmary."

His friends laughed and waved it off as Nax laid on his stomach and promptly went to sleep.

"So I'm up, is anyone else still in the school?" he found himself asking.

His friends nodded "Dumbledore, the Heads of House, and Filch. Other than that its a ghost school." Anna said

Sam whimpered a little "I don't like ghosts."

Marcus laughed loudly.

Dan snapped his fingers "Oh wait! That girl Hermione left you something, this book and this note."

He handed him a small worn out book with a little note peaking out.

 _Sorry it took so long, Harry found it in the Restricted Section! Good luck!_

Marcus had completely forgotten about the Knights of Le Fay.

He opened the book to where the note was and quickly skimmed it until he came across a picture of a ring.

He gasped as he stared at the picture hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him, he had seen that ring before.

His friends all crowded around him and stared at the picture "What is it Mark?" Anna asked.

Marcus cleared his throat and shut the book "How would you guys like to spend the summer with me at my house? Something tells me our search has just begun."

All of his friends looked at each other before they all readily agreed "Great, Nile can you contact my parents? Let them know to come get us. You guys should probably let your parents know too."

Everyone left the room and Marcus opened the book again as he stared at the description under the picture.

 _This ring was created by Morgan Le Fay herself. Whoever possesses it rules the order however they see fit, this ring marks the High Lord of the Knights._

Marcus gulped as he stared at the picture again, it didn't have a stone in it but it was fashioned from gold his ancestors had created.

The last time he saw that ring it had a black stone inside the center with a strange inscription in the center.

A triangle with a circle and line through the middle.

He climbed out of bed and saw that his trunk and clothes were all packed and next to the bed.

He searched and searched through his trunk until he finally found the family picture.

It was an unnaturally long picture of moving people, he saw himself, with his parents next to him all smiling. Next to him were his younger cousins, all of them crowding around their big cousin. Then sitting down were his grandparents smiling and holding hands like they always were.

And then next to them.

A frowning man curling his hands together, it was Marcus's uncle, the only remaining member of...that family.

In his twisting hands Marcus could see the ring as clear as day on his finger.

His uncle was supposed to visit later that summer, he had to come up with a plan to get the ring away from him.

He gulped he had never liked his uncle, always being pessimistic and saying death was following him, he never thought that he would be the one in control of group of homicidal knights.

All of this ran through his head as his friends returned, he didn't hear what they were saying he just kept looking at the picture...

Of Sionis Riddle.

 **Please Review! The next few chapters will be over the summer and then we move on to his third year!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Dine Manor**

"Marky!" Seamus Dine said happily as he pulled his son into a hug. Marcus winced as his broken arm was crushed but returned the hug nonetheless.

"Hi dad, so these are my friends." he said gesturing to the group of people behind him.

Seamus smiled widely as he shook their hands and waved his wand, their bags vanished from their hands "You're bags will be in your rooms! Oh and feel free to use a little magic while your here! What's life without a little rule breaking."

Everyone smiled as Amelia Dine walked in and smacked her husband in the back of the head "Stop encouraging rule breaking! We get enough letters from Dumbledore about Marcus doing it!"

Amelia stopped glaring when she saw the girl "Oh! You must be Anna! Great to finally meet you! I hope my son has been a good boyfriend and treating you well!"

"MOM!" Marcus whined loudly as his friends snickered and so did his dad a little.

Seamus laughed as he steered his wide away, when he returned he gave everyone a tour of the unnaturally large and confusing mansion "...and these are the bedrooms, well that ends the tour! Dinner will be at six so I hope you're hungry! Oh wait Marcus don't open..."

Marcus opened his bedroom door and was immediately tackled by a massive furry creature.

Streaks.

"OW! Down boy! Ouch! Sit!" Marcus shouted as the dog practically sat on his broken leg and licked his masters face wildly.

Finally Sam and Dan were able to pull Streaks off of him and they pulled him back into the room and shut the door, causing the dog to bark loudly vibrating the whole house.

Marcus sat up groaning and he saw a mirror on the wall, he could see his face was covered in dog slobber and his hair was sticking up all over the place.

Everyone was laughing hysterically at the sight and Marcus just smiled as his father handed him and towel, he took it and wiped all the slobber off.

"He missed you a lot, we could barely keep him happy. He mostly spent the days laying on your bed whining and barking."

Marcus felt a twinge of guilt for leaving his dog, he loved his dog more than anything and it must have been torture to not have your best friend with you for an entire school year.

"Well, can you let him out in like ten minutes? He'll find me immediately but I just want a small head start." he asked and Seamus nodded.

After that everyone went to their rooms and Marcus found himself walking into Dans room "What do you think?"

Dan seemed to be permanently stuck in awe "It's amazing! Next to Hogwarts this is the biggest place I've ever been in."

Marcus frowned "You live in the Muggle world right? I can't imagine their are many houses there that are this size."

Dan tensed before he turned around not meeting his eye "I...I haven't actually. Can I confess something?"

He nodded and shut the door so no one was listening to them.

Dan bit his lip before he sat down "My family...both of my parents come from muggle families and...well...we've never been like...this. Rich I mean. They always had smiles on their faces though, always had time for me."

Marcus just listened as Dan told him about his home life, barely enough to scrape by on top of having to buy his school books and clothes.

The story he told made Marcus's heart clench tightly.

"Dan, I'm so sorry I...I wish their was something I could do. We'll find your parents Dan! I promise on my life!"

Daniel had tears in his eyes before he wiped them away and nodded, then he went back to unpacking.

Marcus left him to it and made his way down the hall until he reached Sams room.

"Everything good here Sam?" he asked.

Sam was grinning wildly as he stuffed random clothes in the dresser "This house is amazing! I just wish my sister was here! I miss her, got some intern job with the Ministry! Haven't seen here in over a year but she writes a lot! Wow look at that view!"

After that Marcus couldn't get his attention because he was just staring at the large expanse of land that the property had, the gardens, the forest, and the lake.

He rolled his eyes in amusement before he walked out and crossed the hall to where Nile was unpacking.

"Hey man, you ready? Gonna be a busy summer." Nile said with a grin.

Marcus nodded with a smile as Nile whistled happily putting clothes away and opening the curtains.

"You know Nile...Your parents...they claim they were under the Imperious Curse. Mom and dad believe them, we might be able to get an appeal with my parents high standing with the Minister." he said quickly.

Nile tensed before turning around with wide eyes, "The Imperious Curse?"

He nodded "The Slavery Curse. One of those Unforgivable Curses you told me about. You use it on someone and they are forced to do whatever you want them to. Even kill someone or themselves if you want. You-know-who used it on tons of people to get what he wanted during his rule."

Nile looked nervous and Marcus wasn't sure why, eventually he sighed and hung his head and mumbled something.

"What was that?"

Nile lifted his head, his lip quivering "They...They weren't under the Imperious Curse Marcus, they knew what they were doing. I got a special request to see them in Azkaban a few months ago, they told me how the Dark Lord would return. How they wanted me to join them and help them escape."

Marcus was stunned to say the least "But...they were so kind. They loved me and my parents!"

Nile shook his head sadly "It was all a lie, they were only kind because your parents are Aurors. That _wanted_ your family's sympathy because they knew how much influence your name carries in the Ministry. They're horrible people Marcus, I was just too slow in realizing that."

Marcus had no idea what to say "I...I'm sorry Nile. I'll talk to my parents and tell them what you told me okay?"

Nile nodded and when back to his stuff in silence.

Marcus left the room and walked down the hall to the room across from his, he opened it and saw Anna hanging up Triwizard tournament posters and Gilderoy Lockhart pictures.

He couldn't help but snicker which made her turn around and smile widely as she pulled him into a hug.

"This house is amazing! I love the view! I know that we are here to help you uncover the truth about the Knights but this is amazing!" she said smiling.

Marcus laughed but before he could say anything Anna gave him a stern look "You aren't off the hook just yet."

He frowned in confusion as she sat down and continue giving him the same look.

"You have some explaining to do Mark! Everything! Right now!"

Marcus wanted to protest but he couldn't say no to her, he sighed and sat down next to her.

"Let me start from the beginning."

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	31. Chapter 31

**Later that day.**

"You can't do this Mark! You're just a kid! We all are you can't really be considering going along with this plan of his!" Anna shrieked. Marcus was glad he placed a noise concealment charm around the room or people may have heard the screaming.

Marcus shook his head "I may be a kid but I'm not going to sit back and let You-know-who come back without a fight!"

They heard a knock on the door and Seamus Dine poked his head in with his hands over his eyes "Are you guys decent?"

"DAD!" Marcus said with a deep blush spreading over his cheeks.

Seamus smiled as he lowered his hands "Dinners ready guys! Hope you like...whatever you're in the mood for!" he said laughing a little.

Anna hopped off the bed and gave one last pleading glare before leaving the room. Marcus sat there, not in the mood to eat but he knew his parents would want him to be polite to his friends and show them where the dining room was, the house was a maze after all.

He walked out of the room and saw his friends all standing there, Sam was poking his head into Marcus's room and was laughing "Oh wow! Guys look at all of these..."

Marcus pulled him out of his room and shut the door and cast a spell on the lock "Nothing! Nothing is in my room!"

Everyone stared at him confused before Sam opened his mouth "So many books! Like stacks and stacks of them! And above his bed is this huge family portrait!"

Marcus groaned in annoyance at Sams big mouth but just rolled his eyes and showed them to the dining room.

It was easily the largest room in the house with the ceiling being thirty feet high and a very long and elegantly designed table was in the center of the room. Ten chairs were on either side of the table and one at each end.

"Why so many chairs?! Do you guys have a lot of parties?!" Dan asked in amazement as they all sat down together.

Amelia laughed as Seamus went into the kitchens to grab some utensils.

"No Seamus comes from a very large family, they visit once a year. Actually they shall be here next week, don't be worried about them being old fashioned or snobby they are all very loving and supportive. Well, except for Marcus's uncle he's very..."

"Mom! Can we just eat please and not talk about him. Please?!" he asked abruptly.

Amelia looked confused but nodded just as Seamus walked back in with his arms filled with plates, he was followed by three House Elves wearing small tuxedos carrying forks and knives.

All of Marcus's friends stared at the elves in amazement as they handed everyone their utensils and plates.

"Oh where are my manners! Everyone meet Rinse, Blotter, and Creak! They help us tend to the house!" Seamus explained.

The House Elves all nodded with smiles as they sat down at the table with plates in front of them.

"You keep slaves?!" Sam blurted out and Amelia burst out laughing.

"Oh dear me no! Not at all! we hired them! They are free to come and go and we pay them a good wage to pay for housing although we have said before that they are more than welcome to stay here as long as they want." she explained.

"The Missus has already helped Creak and friends enough! We wish to be no nuisance, please enjoy!" Creak said and snapped his fingers.

Food appeared on all of their plates and they all immediately started digging in.

Marcus looked up from his chicken and saw Sam deep in conversation with Blotter about various potion ingredients. Dan and Nile were talking about what they were going to do after dinner, most likely something explosive and idiotic. He looked across the table and his eyes locked into Anna's.

He had spilled everything and it was clear that she didn't agree but he made his choice and he was sticking to it, although he still wasn't sure about how he felt about being an animagus.

"...and he was just a boy! Three years old and he's running to us crying with a pencil up his nose!" Seamus said and everyone laughed.

Marcus suppressed a smile at the funny story his father was telling when they heard a small roar.

"Oh that dreadful dragon! He better not be burning the curtains again!" Amelia said with an irritated look.

Marcus sat up "I'm sure it's nothing, maybe Nax is just hungry."

Seamus sighed "Well make sure he's fed son. We'll go fishing tomorrow for more food, you said he likes tuna the most?"

Marcus nodded before he ran out of the room to find Nax flying around the entry hall spouting fire and screaming insults.

"Nax! What has got you all wound up?! Are you hungry?!" he asked.

Nax flew down and hovered a foot away from his face "Not at all! I was looking for my bodyguard sir!"

Marcus sighed "Streaks you mean? He isn't your bodyguard Nax, he's family okay?"

The dragon huffed before a loud bark rang down the hall and Streaks came bounding towards his master and would have crushed his broken bones again if Nax didn't blow fire right int front of the dog.

Streaks slid to a halt and stared at the dragon curiously, the dragon swooped down and examined him "Good bodyguard!"

Marcus wasn't even going to argue at that point he simply started back to the kitchen.

He came in and saw a very happy scene.

Rinse was making the food turn into random shapes which were making Sam and Blotter laugh until their stomachs hurt. Creak was talking with Anna explaining how he could fashion beautiful clothes "Oh and a lovely white dress that would very much compliment your eyes! Yes Creak knows just what to make! What do you think Master Dine? Her eyes are quite stunning yes?"

Marcus looked at her and she had a small blush, in that moment everything they talked about melted away and it seemed like he was lost in the sapphire blue eyes once again.

"You're staring" Dan pointed out which made everyone stop what they were doing and look at the two.

Marcus cleared his throat "Yeah it would go great with her eyes Creak. I'm actually not very hungry tonight. I think I'm just going to go to bed."

His parents tried to object but Marcus hurried through the house and walked into his room. He opened his trunk and took out the small book that Hermione gave him nd examined the ring and the small family picture he had.

It was the same ring and he had to get it from his uncle.

He had to stop the Knights.

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	32. Chapter 32

**Midnight**

Marcus had been trying to figure out a plan for when his relatives visited in the morning but he couldn't think of anything, he groaned loudly and stretched, the feeling of his back cracking made him sigh.

Then he heard a knock on the door, he frowned everyone should already be asleep.

"Come in?" he yelled softly.

The door opened and Nile poked his head in "Hey, can we talk for a minute?"

Marcus nodded and gestured to the chair next to him "What's up?"

Nile was fidgeting in the seat before he finally answered "I've been wondering, whatever plan you come up with won't me being here screw everything up?" Marcus frowned in confusion.

He sighed heavily "I mean remember last year? Those dragons were after me and we both know these Knights sent them to get me. Won't me being here while we try to uncover everything jeopardize it because they wanted me in the first place? They won't need to try and capture me because I'm practically here for the taking."

Marcus thought this over when something clicked "If my uncle really is part of this group, and they are underground, I think you are actually safer here. My parents love you and they would never let anyone, even family, hurt you or me. If my uncle tries to hurt you or kidnap you or something my parents will stop him."

The dark haired teen nodded before he yawned "Thanks Marky, I needed to hear that."

Marcus nodded and suppressed the yawn building in his mouth, "You should head to bed Nile, I should too. My cousins are a nightmare."

Nile smiled before he left the room, Marcus climbed into bed and waved his wand to turn off the light.

Then he fell into a blissful dreamless sleep.

"Marky Marky Marky!" a loud high pitched voice pierced his ears.

Marcus shot his eyes open to come face to face with his five year old cousin Artie.

"Marky! Big cousin! I missed you!" he said happily before throwing himself on top of Marcus and jumping on top of him.

"OW...OW...OW...Who...OW...Let him...OW..IN!?" Marcus shouted as the boy didn't slow down his hopping.

Artie stopped jumping "Your giiiirrrrlfriiiieennd!" he said slowly before pointing to Anna and Dan, who were holding in their laughs, at the door.

Marcus rolled his eyes as he groaned and sat on the bed, immediately Artie hopped on his back "Piggy back ride big cousin!"

Marcus winced as his cousin wrapped his arm around his broken hand.

Anna quickly jumped in "Artie your brother was looking for you! He said that he's the favorite."

The little boy jumped off of Marcus "Untrue! Grandma likes me best! SIMON!" he shouted and ran out of the room.

Marcus gripped his broken hand and thanked his friends "Those little guys, so much energy. They love me and I love them don't get me wrong but sometimes they can be a little much!"

Dan sat down next to him "Well, now you don't have to deal with them alone! Those little guys seem like they would be perfect at distractions. We might be able to use them to our advantage."

Marcus was silent "True, those little guys are real hell raisers."

He quickly got changed and then followed his friends to the entrance hall where Simon and Artie were biting and kicking one another.

"Oh Amelia wonderful to see you dear! How are your parents? I heard your father made a full recovery?" his grandfather, Cassius, asked to his mother before they all saw Marcus.

His grandfather and his father were spitting images of each other, only Cassius had chalk white hair and had a long cane. His grandmother, Celina, was an elegant woman with straight shoulder length gray hair and always had a smile on her face. His cousins weren't twins but they might as well have been, both of them had curly strawberry blonde hair and dimpled smiles. Their parents, Amelia's brother and sister-in-law, unfortunately had died from Dragon Pox when they were babies and his grandparents were not even hesitant to taking care of the two boys.

"Oh Marcus! How are you? Oh what happened?!" his grandmother said before she saw his sling and cast.

Marcus quickly explained what happened and assured them he was fine before he was pulled into a hug by his grandfather "Good to see you son! How's school?"

"Schools good, a little crazy but I really like it there!"

His grandparents smiled before introducing themselves to his friends.

Then he heard someone knock on the door "I'll get it!" he said before limping towards the door.

He opened it and his breath hitched.

"U-Uncle Sionis!" he said and the unusually thin man nodded under his heavily layered clothing.

He thrust his hand out "Good to see you Marcus." he said through the layers of cloth.

Marcus took the gloved hand and his uncle pulled him closer, he couldn't see anything except a small amount of his graying black hair and his blue eyes through the clothes.

"That is a fascinating ring son! Mind if I ask how you got it!" he said as he stared at his dragon bone ring with clearly feigned interest.

Marcus wasn't really paying attention, he was mainly wondering why his uncle was wearing so many layers when it was almost ninety degrees out.

When Marcus didn't answer Sionis shuffled past him and greeted his family with hugs and handshakes.

"Mind if I head to my room immediately? I am feeling a bit ill." he asked.

Seamus nodded "I'll ask Creak to send you up some soup in a little while alright?"

Sionis nodded and walked away without another word.

Marcus stared as the man slowly made his way up the stairs and he was eventually jarred back to reality by a scream.

"Dragon!" his grandparents shouted and they both started to take out their wands when Seamus and Amelia quickly intervened before they blasted the dragon off of the banister.

"Mom dad it's fine! This is Nax, he's tamed. We found out last year and I guess it slipped my mind to tell you! Marcus is a Drakkantongue!" his father said.

They lowered their wands as they stared at Marcus in amazement "Drakkantongue?" they both said.

Marcus shyly nodded before his grandparents grinned widely "Amazing! Simply amazing! I will have a few questions for you later son!" Cassius said.

"May we have a demonstration?" his grandmother asked.

He nodded and turned to Nax, then he started rattling off a bunch of guttural roars and shrieks. The sound made Simon and Artie quit fighting and stare curiously.

They were confused at first before Nax roared and then lowered his head to the family members.

"He says welcome and that family of mine are always friends." he translated.

They clapped and his little cousins tackled him "Our big cousins a dragon! Can you fly?!" Simon asked.

He shook his head and then his grandparents started to scold the five and six year olds for being too physical with their injured cousin.

As they were talking Marcus looked at his family in amazement at how well they got along with his friends.

Eventually everyone shuffled out of the entrance hall and went their separate ways around the house, eventually it was just him and Cassius.

"So tell me my boy, how far do these dragon abilities go?"

Marcus sat down across from a wizards chess set and Cassius sat on the other side, "Never really thought about it. As far as I know I can speak with any dragon, technically I am the alpha of a pack of Vipertooths that attacked the school last year."

Cassius was awestruck "Amazing! Vipertooths you say? Are they the extremely venomous ones? How did you ever manage to accomplish that!?"

Marcus nodded "It wasn't easy, I had to beat the alpha and show that I was a stronger leader and after that I released the dragons under the condition that they never return to the school."

Cassius went wide eyed "You released the dragons? Don't you think that might have been dangerous?"

He shook his head "I made them swear not to attack anymore humans, then they named me Dragon-friend. I have no idea what it means but I'm guessing on good terms with at least the Vipertooths."

Cassius shook his head in amazement "Truly remarkable! However I should not be surprised we come from a long line of well respected wizards...minus You-know-who."

He nodded again "Hey granddad? How are we related to the Riddles again? To Uncle Sionis?" he found himself asking.

Cassius rubbed his chin in thought "Well, now we aren't truly related to the Riddles themselves Marcus, we are related to the Guants due to their lineage tracing back to the Peverell family. The Gaunt family are the descendants of Cadmus Peverell, and our family, the Dines, are the direct descendants of his older brother Antioch Peverell. The Gaunt family and the Riddle family are a complicated mess. Sionis was practically exiled from the family long before He-who-must-not-be-named rose to power. After his downfall, I found a letter written by Tom Riddle Sr. about how he wished he could apologize to Sionis but never got the chance, I decided to track him down and here we are many years later."

Marcus took that all in, he had never really thought about his relation to the Riddle/Gaunt family line but now it was more clear than ever, technically the Dark Lord was his cousin and he hated it. He had spent his entire life trying to not think like that but now that it was in his mind he couldn't help it.

"Good god boy is that the time?! I must be going to take my medication! For the old heart." he said with a smile patting his shoulder before he grabbed his cane and hobbled away.

Marcus just sat there stunned for a good long while...

Trying to remember how to breath.

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	33. Chapter 33

"Ready? Okay and three, two, one!" Seamus said as he and Cassius helped removed the cast off of Marcus's leg. As soon as it was off, Marcus sighed in relief and enjoyed moving his leg again. He moved his now healed arm as well and relished the feeling of cracking his knuckles.

"Thanks guys!" he said happily and stood up on his own, he stumbled a bit but Anna caught him just in time.

"Whoa there big guy! Take it easy, Madam Pomfrey said when you're healed to not run or you may risk breaking it again." she supplied and Marcus nodded with a smile.

After that everyone started getting ready for the big family reunion party that was to happen that night, Marcus always hated it but they had one every few years to show that even though it was troubling times family was still important. Marcus wondered why he hadn't seen Sionis at all since he had arrived, he was a recluse but he still usually talked to the family during the day.

He made his way up the stairs and he found Nax flying above him before landing on his head "What are you doing sir?" the obnoxiously loud dragon asked.

Marcus decided not to answer as it would only lead to more talking on Nax's part. He stopped at Sionis's door and knocked lightly, a cough was heard before a faint "Come in"

He opened the door and found Sionis, still in the thick black layers, sitting at a desk with his head in his hands "Uncle? Are you alright?" he asked as he looked around the room and found he had not even unpacked.

Sionis nodded and turned, it may have just been Marcus's imagination but his graying black hair seemed to be all gray now. Marcus pushed the thought out of his mind "W-We were wondering if you were coming down for lunch? We are having a muggle lunch called a BBQ or...something like that I have no idea."

Sionis gave a muffled chuckle underneath his coat and moved towards him, as he was walking Marcus saw a glimpse of a bump on his finger under his glove.

The ring!

Marcus still had no plan, he was still kind of hoping Sionis would just walk up to him and say 'Hey check out this ring! Can you hold it for me while I look the other way for a while?'.

Sionis knelt next to him, his eyes seemed slightly glassy and Marcus caught the faint line of something under them, a faint blackness "I am fine nephew, please don't worry about me. It is pointless anyway to worry about someone who is dead anyway."

Marcus was taken back by the sudden change in tone of his uncles voice, it went from slightly cheery to dark and ominous in no time at all. Marcus suddenly felt like a shadow was covering him, he felt cold and a sense of dread washed over him.

"Actually Sionis I should probably go check on lunch, they may need me to tell Nax not to eat the food." he lied, he kept trying to shake the cold feeling away but it lingered, it was as if his uncle was radiating this feeling.

He quickly ran out the door as fast as he could and started down the stairs, then he felt a sharp pain in his now mended leg, and he stumbled down the last few steps.

Dan and Sam ran in, followed by his little cousins, "You okay big cousin?!" Artie asked as Dan and Sam helped him up. Marcus nodded as he rubbed his throbbing leg, soon his cousins lost interest completely and went to go play with the house elves.

"Anna told you not to run and what do you do twenty minutes later? Honestly and I thought I was the dumb one!" Sam said with a laugh as Marcus limped next to his friends.

"Listen guys something weird is going on with my uncle. I mean more than he usually is! I think something is controlling him, he's not himself." he told his friends and they both were silent for a long time.

Eventually they sat in am empty room "Marcus what is it exactly that we need to do? You never really fully explained to us why you need us here." Dan said.

Marcus nodded "The Knights of Le Fay are some ancient order tied to my family. That book Hermione Granger gave me has a reference of them in it. It said that their is a ring that marks the High Lord of the Knights. My uncle has that ring! We need to get it and destroy it if their is no leader then maybe the Knights will fracture before their is some kind of revolution against wizards and muggles!"

Sam shook his head "Why would their be a war? What do the Knights do?"

"They are an order bent on muggle extermination! Gellert Grindlewald was one of them! You know the dark wizard that tried to destroy the secrecy of wizards and rule muggles with an iron fist? He was part of the Knights I'm sure of it. Imagine if that happened again but was ten times more devastating! We have to stop it before it begins." he finished.

Sam had completely zoned out because he kept nodding even when Marcus was done but Dan was horrified at what he told him. Eventually he shivered "You're right we have to stop it, but what can we do Marcus? We're kids and the Knights probably have some pretty skilled wizards in their ranks. You can't possibly expect to win do you?!"

Marcus shook his head "Not at all, I expect to get that ring and before we break it we try to order the dispersion of the Knights and if that doesn't work well, I haven't actually thought this all the way through I have no idea what to do."

Just then Cassius walked in with a smile with Anna and Nile behind him "You boys hungry? Amelia is making hamburgers! Let's go!"

When he was gone Nile and Anna walked in and could practically feel the tension in the room "What's going on?" Nile asked.

Dan got them up to speed and they sat down on the couch and they fell into silence for a long time.

"What about tonight?" Anna suggested.

They all looked at her in confusion and she rolled her eyes "The big party tonight? Sionis will have to come down and mingle. When he does, Marcus and Dan you guys get him out of the room to talk to him privately. Try and get that ring off of him and Sam? You and the kids are going to cause a distraction..."

Sam bounced up and down with a smile "I like this plan! Distractions are my specialty!"

Anna smirked before turning to Nile "You and I are going to keep people from trying to find Sionis alright? If they start wondering where he is just make something up." and Nile nodded in agreement.

Marcus just stared at his girlfriend in shock "How...No never mind just keep being awesome!"

Anna smirked and went over the plan again because of course Sam wasn't listening for most of it.

After everyone had their parts down Cassius and Seamus walked in with the house elves behind him, all of them carrying food. He sat down at the table and started eating, as did the house elves, and they all fell into conversation about different types of spells.

The teenagers all stared for a few seconds before Seamus turned to them "Oh you guys might want to get dressed! The guests are all going to be here within the hour okay?"

They all nodded and got up...

Ready to put their plan into action.


	34. Chapter 34

**Later that night**

"Anna you almost ready? My dad said it would be best if we walked down to greet the guests together." Marcus yelled through the door. He was wearing a regal black robe that his parents said is the best outfit for such an occasion as the party.

"Yeah coming out now." she said and opened the door, Marcus forgot how to breath as he stared open mouthed at his girlfriend. She was wearing a navy blue dress that looked as if it was made of scales, each one shimmering in the light giving off a near glow like aura around the girl.

Marcus blushed brightly, he knew that he shouldn't be blushing so much around her or acting like she and him were not together, he simply couldn't help it. Whenever they talked or she smiled or anything he simply felt like when he first met her and he wanted to say those three words but was worried on how she would react if he did.

"You look...wow." was all he could say before she smiled and hooked her arm around his and they walked down the hall together. As they were walking towards the stairs Anna went over the plan again and Marcus nodded as they descended.

"Ah and you all know my son and this is his lovely girlfriend Anna Trace!" Amelia said and all of the party guests shook their hands and introduced themselves. Marcus recognized a great deal of them such as Cornelius Fudge, Lucius Malfoy, Newt Scamander, and even Alastor Moody was sitting off to the side glaring and his prosthetic eye twitching erratically.

Marcus cleared his throat before he shook hands with them, making sure to give Lucius a particularly vicious glare when he commented on choosing friends, directing his attention to Daniel and Sam.

When he looked over to Moody he simply gave a curt nod which Marcus returned. Then he fell into conversation with Newt "How's the dragon? I hope he's doing well!"

Marcus nodded with a smile "He's perfectly happy, actually he seems to think the world revolves around him but he likes it here." Newt smiled and then he looked around to see if anyone was looking. When he turned back he unfolded his hand to reveal a full grown Bowtruckle.

"Crick!" Marcus said and held out his hand, the Bowtruckle seemed to remember him and crawled into his hand and wrapped its hands around his thumb affectionately.

"He gets along well with my other Bowtruckles and he is very loving. Oh if you'll excuse me I need to step out for a moment. Cornelius how are you?" he said and walked away to talk to the Minister.

He smiled and pet Crick before he felt a tap on his shoulder, he turned and Dan was standing there "Sam and the kids are ready when you are man." and Marcus saw Sam by the windows grinning like a lunatic with his two cousins behind him.

Marcus looked through the crowd and caught a glimpse of Sionis shaking hands with a few Aurors and other wizards, he turned to Sam and nodded.

Sam nodded back and whispered something into Arties ear, prompting the boy to immediately shout and attack his younger brother. The boys both started screaming and biting and when everyone turned Sam flicked his wand under his hand and caused the curtains to fall on the kids and cover them completely.

Everyone started rushing over to help them but the curtains were tangled and in that moment Marcus and Dan made their move to Sionis who was watching from a distance.

"Uncle, I was wondering if me and Daniel could talk to you for a minute? In private?" he asked politely and Sionis mutely nodded before the three made their way out of the room.

Marcus looked back to see Nile and Anna standing at the doorway they went through to make sure no one followed, but everyone was too distracted to even look in their direction.

They kept walking until they reached the patio that had steps leading into the forest in the back of their house, Marcus shut the door behind them as Sionis gazed at the stars.

"Uncle, I've just been so curious, but may I see your ring? The one you wore last time I saw you?" Marcus cut to the chase.

Sionis stiffened and turned to them, his eyes were still the only visible thing of his attire "I'm afraid not son, I am not feeling well at the moment and I fear removing my coat or even gloves may make it worse. So sorry, well shall we get back to the party?" he started back to the door but Dan stepped in.

"We just want to see it sir, we were so curious because we heard it has a bit of history?" he pleaded giving his puppy dog look.

Marcus was amazed to see that Sionis caved, then again he has fallen for that look many times. The teenager knew how to play people that was certain.

Sionis sighed and turned so they couldn't see him "Just a glimpse alright? Then I need to rest."

He turned back and in the dark they couldn't see much in the shadow but as soon as it was in their sight it was gone and Sionis started to put the glove back on.

That was when a bit of moonlight hit his hand and Marcus saw it.

Not the ring, but his hand. It was black and looked like it was nothing but bone and flesh "Uncle are you alright?! What is wrong with your hand?!" he found himself asking.

Sionis shook his cloth covered head "Nothing my boy! Now if you'll excuse me!" he said and tried to push his way through, but the two boys blocked him.

Marcus took his wand out and before any of them could react he shouted _"Lacarnum Inflamarae!"_

Fire immediately sparked on the coat Sionis was wearing, he shrieked and tore hos coat off as fast as possible, the sight left the two boys stunned.

In the moonlight Sionis looked like a skeleton, his clothes were hanging loosely off his bony frame, and his skin was a disgusting shade of black. His face was haggard and his veins also seemed to be black as well. Whatever it was that had happened to him it clearly wasn't finished as they could see the blackness creeping in his skin as if it was in his bloodstream infecting every cell it touched. His hair was falling out and instead of the cropped black hair it was white and stringy.

"Uncle...what happened?!" he asked and Sionis coughed violently and fell to his knees.

"This damnable thing!" he shouted weakly pointing to his ring.

Marcus could see it clearly now, the gold band and the strange stone that was in the center, he could see the odd symbol that was etched into the stone.

"What do you mean?! How can a ring cause this?!" Dan asked and Sionis shook his head and gave a shallow breath before he spoke.

"Some kind of dark and evil magic was placed on this ring! I found it, a family heirloom, and it was fine at first maybe a headache here and there but I thought nothing of it. Then this thing seemed to poison me! I took it off but it was too late, eventually I thought wearing this ring would kill me faster and end my pain once and for all!" he explained.

Marcus was horrified and was about to speak when they heard a deep chuckle to their right.

"Thank you Sionis, I think that's enough." a voice spoke from the darkness.

The three turned to where they saw a figure approaching them in the shadows, Marcus squinted and couldn't make out who it was, the voice was distorted.

It was the same voice that was in the memory "You! You were the one that cast the Memory Erasing charm on me when I was a kid!" he shouted angrily.

The figure laughed "Yes I am son and I apologize but I am behind schedule and that ring is why I am here. _"Imperio!"_

Sionis stiffened and slowly took the ring off his finger, he walked towards the figure in a trance and held it in his palm.

Before the figure could reach it though Marcus jumped forward and grabbed it, the figure clamped a hand on his arm and they wrestled for the ring.

Eventually Marcus fell to the ground, the ring still tightly gripped in his hand but the sudden fall made the figure stumble forward, into the moonlight.

Marcus and Dan both gasped as they stared at the now revealed man in front of them.

"Cassius?!"

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	35. Chapter 35

"I suppose this voice charm is no longer necessary." Cassius said and cleared his throat to break the spell. Marcus was dumbfounded, the weight of the ring in his hand felt heavy as his grandfather straightened, without a cane.

Cassius held his hand out "Give me the ring son. I don't want to have to hurt my own blood. I will if I have to though keep that in mind."

Marcus looked at the ring in the palm of his hand, then he looked at Sionis who was still under the Imperius Curse looking like a skeleton with skin, then he turned to Dan who looked scared but determined.

"What do you plan to do grandfather?" he asked and Cassius lowered his hand glared before he collected himself.

"A great many things Marcus, a better future filled with magic and might! A future where we don't have to hide like rats! A future where we rule supreme like wizards should! Don't you want that Marcus?! Don't you want wizard kind to be known?" he asked with a near insane grin.

Marcus froze, he didn't know exactly what to think "I...I would like a future where wizards are known." he admitted and Cassius laughed loudly.

"See! Come with me my boy! We can mold a new future together!" he said but Marcus glared at him.

"But I want that future through peace with the muggles! Not fear!" he said and raised his wand to his grandfather.

He fired a stunning spell and Cassius blocked, Dan joined in and together they fired relentlessly as Cassius continued to block with ease.

"This is pointless!" he roared and whistled sharply, crashing was heard from inside the house and Marcus turned just in time to see Streaks bounding towards them and then he crashed through the glass doorway.

The massive dog jumped in between the wizards and bared its fangs to Marcus. He was shocked, his own dog was threatening him "Streaks? What are you doing boy?" he asked softly.

Cassius laughed "Do you still think he is a dog?! Allow me to help you understand! _Revelio!_ "

Streaks grew larger and larger, his fur grew longer, his teeth became sharper, his fur turned golden brown, a large orange mane grew out of his neck, his back legs turned to hooves, and his tail grew long and slender until it was a slithering snake.

"A Chimaera!" Dan said horrified as the two boys backed up from the monstrous creature.

Cassius smiled "You didn't really think an age slowing charm existed did you? Such a spell doesn't exist you fool! No, I placed Streaks with you because I knew you'd be trouble Marcus."

Marcus was out of options, the ring was in his hand but all Cassius needed to do was order Streaks to kill him and it was over. No doubt people heard the commotion and would soon be coming to investigate, but it would take a few minutes to pinpoint exactly where it came from.

"What if I just break the ring?" Marcus said as he held it up to the moonlight. He caught the small hint of fear in his grandfathers eyes before he regained his composure.

"That would be most unwise my boy, better if you simply give it to me and we part ways." he said with a hint of venom laced in is voice that said he was losing his patience.

"Daniels parents, they go free! Unharmed and safe!" he ordered and Dan, even though he was facing down a Chimaera, smiled at his friend.

Cassius clenched his jaw "I...very well I shall order their immediate release, they will be sent here completely unharmed. Now the ring my boy!" he said, his patience clearly about to snap.

"One more thing actually." Marcus said and Cassius breathed unevenly, clearly about to break and kill them both.

"Stay the hell away from my family and my friends! You aren't family! Not anymore!" he shouted.

Cassius grit his teeth and looked like he was about to use the Killing Curse but nodded finally before holding out his hand.

Marcus didn't have a choice, he threw the ring to him and he caught it with a grin as he examined it.

"I'll be seeing you son, real soon I suspect!" Cassius said before he grabbed Sionis, who was mumbling incoherently, and then the massive collar of the Chimaera and disapparated.

Marcus and Dan both breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly Dan tackled him in a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you Marcus! You didn't have to do that! You could have just given him the ring but you saved my parents! Thank you!" he said happily.

Marcus smiled and hugged back when they heard a cough next to them.

They turned to find all of their friends staring at them, Seamus and Amelia looked shocked and horrified.

"How long have you guys been there?" Marcus asked and Seamus didn't answer, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

Amelia stepped forward "When we heard the crash we came as fast as we could. Nile...he suggested we stay hidden and we heard Cassius speaking to you we heard about...Streaks. Sweetie I'm so sorry! I know you loved him with all your heart."

She hugged him and Marcus could feel tears streaming down his cheeks, his best friend in the world was gone because of his demented grandfather.

Seamus finally opened his mouth "The...The guests are gone. We sent them away except for Moody, he's going to help patrol the grounds. I...my father is a madman." he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sweetie he kept that facade up perfectly! Their is no way any of us could have known about this!" Amelia said as she comforted her husband who looked ready to cry.

Seamus nodded and then simply turned away and walked back into the house without saying another word.

Then they heard the rush of wind behind them, they all turned to see two figures land on the porch and then fall to the ground. When they started to get up they were groaning a little but as the moonlight hit them everyone immediately recognized them. They had cuts and bruises on their faces and looked unnaturally thin but still very much alive.

The Barnes!

Dan jumped down the steps three at a time and rushed into his parents arms "Mom! Dad!" he said with tears in his eyes. His parents hugged him back and they all cried, Amelia held Marcus close as they watched the family reunite.

"That was a truly noble thing you did Marky, you risked your own life to save theirs knowing full well Cassius had the upper hand. You are full of surprises dear!" Amelia said before hugging him again and walking back in the house to find and comfort her husband.

Anna ran forward and pulled him into a hug "I thought we lost you! When you wouldn't give him the ring I thought he was going to just kill you right there!"

Sam cleared his throat "Um in case anyone forgot to notice, he _does_ have the ring! What was the point of this whole plan if we didn't get the ring?" he asked completely confused.

Marcus smiled before pointing to the happily reunited family "It doesn't matter! My parents will tell the Ministry, the Knights are no longer a secret order. They will be uncovered and hunted. Daniel got his parents back and none of us got hurt! The only thing I regret is the fact that we couldn't save Sionis. He was innocent, just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Sam nodded before he heard Amelia shouting "Samuel! You got Artie and Simon fighting you have to break them apart!"

Sam groaned loudly before he smiled and gave his friends a hug and ran into the house towards the shouting.

Anna kissed Marcus on the cheek and then ran to help Sam, after that Nile pulled him into a hug "You did it buddy! I can't believe it!"

Marcus laughed and nodded "I feel like the rest of the summer is going to be so boring now that Cassius is gone."

Nile shrugged "Let's just enjoy it and then suffer through Hogwarts together eh?"

He nodded with a smile "To our third year!"

Nile laughed loudly "To our third year!"

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	36. Chapter 36

**Diagon Alley**

"Alright everyone come on! We need to get...oh man that's a lot books!" Charles Barnes said paling as he read the list of curriculum books for the year.

Charles and Alexis Barnes had healed from their wounds and decided to take a small sabbatical from their work to make up for leaving Daniel alone for over a year. After the initial hugging and kissing among them Marcus insisted that the Barnes family stay with them to heal and recuperate. The process took longer than expected because they had a few broken bones that needed to mend.

Marcus, Dan, and Nile all walked with Charles through Diagon Alley, Amelia had asked for him to take them because her and Seamus were busy hunting down the now exposed Knights of Le Fay and wanted revenge over the kidnapping of their friends. Anna and Sam had gone back to their homes to spend some time with their families and promised to see them on the train.

As they walked into the bookstore it was packed with wizards all murmuring and swooning. Marcus frowned before he saw who it was they were all infatuated with, Gilderoy Lockhart, smiling and signing books. The boys all looked at their list of their DADA books and realized they were all Lockharts books, even his autobiography.

"Oh you got to be kidding me!" Dan said in annoyance and Charles gulped hard.

"Don't worry we can move some money around, I'm sure their is..."

"I'll pay for them Mr. Barnes! Don't worry about it." Marcus interrupted as they all collected their books and went to pay.

"Marcus I appreciate the gesture but really it is not necessary to..." he was cut off again.

"Mr. Barnes may I speak with you in private? Just for a second?" Marcus said and they walked over to an isolated corner of the store.

"Mr. Barnes, over the summer Dan told me a little bit about your...financial problems. Now I am not going to give you my sympathies because I have never been in your situation but that's exactly why I want to help. It's nothing to be ashamed of or feel like your pride has been damaged sir. You were kidnapped and tortured, by my own grandfather! I want to make up for that, and if that means using my families fortune to buy these unnecessarily expensive books then please let me sir. I want to help you and your family. You deserve so much more than you have." Marcus explained.

Charles was in shock before he placed the heavy books on a table and pulled Marcus into a bone crushing hug "Thank you Marcus! Truly! No one has ever treated us with this much kindness, they always look the other way because we come from muggle families."

Marcus smiled "It's the least I can do, I'll gladly help with supplies whenever I can and my parents said you are welcome to our house anytime too."

Charles wiped a few tears away before he picked the books up and walked back to the group who were talking to a muggle couple.

"Oh yes we are so proud of our little Hermione! She received top marks last year!" the man said, just as he was finished Hermione Granger popped up behind them with an armful of books.

"Oh Marcus! Did that book I sent you help?" the little girl asked and Marcus nodded with a smile and thanked her before the door opened and a massive family walked in, crowding the small store even more.

"Hermione!" the small red headed boy from last year, Ron Weasley, shouted.

Hermione and Ron both started talking and Charles turned and shook hands with who could only have been Rons father "Good to see you Arthur! How is everything at the Ministry?"

Arthur smiled "Lots of raids as of late, very taxing but all for good reason!"

Charles nodded and then he turned back and put his books on the counter, Marcus pushed through the group to the counter and handed the clerk a sack of coins "For all the books here alright? I'm paying for two sets."

She nodded and then Dan walked over and helped him carry the books "Did you just pay for my books?"

Marcus nodded "Your father is okay with it." as he handed them to Charles and his friends.

Dan mumbled something and Marcus turned and before he knew what was happening Dan was dragging him out of the store by his arm.

They stopped at a small corner next to the store and he saw that Dan was glaring "Why did you pay Marcus?!"

Marcus gulped, he had never seen Dan this mad before and it was terrifying "I just wanted to help. You told me yourself that..." Dan raised a hand to silence him.

"I told you that in confidence! It's embarrassing Marcus! I feel horrible now because this makes me feel like my family is less than yours!" he snarled.

Marcus shook his head "No Dan not at all! This years curriculum is particularly expensive and I just wanted to help your family have a little breathing room financially. My family has more money than I know what to do with and I will gladly use that money to help anyone that needs it."

He could see Dan's anger was starting to simmer down but he wasn't dropping his scowl.

Marcus looked down, ashamed, "I...I just wanted help. I'm sorry." he said softly.

Then he heard Dan sigh and before he could process it he was hugging him "It's okay I understand where you're coming from. You're very sweet Marcus and I appreciate you selflessly spending so much just to help my family. I'm glad you're my friend I really am."

Marcus laughed "I'm glad we're friends too!"

Marcus pulled away and was about to say something else when Dan pressed his lips against his. It was only for a couple seconds but it was enough for Marcus to realize that he didn't pull back.

He pulled his head back and stared at Dan with wide eyes, he was staring back at him with a look of horror.

"I...I didn't...I" Dan stuttered before he just bolted into the store and out of sight. Marcus was confused, he sat down against the wall just thinking about that kiss. Why didn't he pull away? He didn't like guys, at least he thought he didn't. That kiss made him shiver, he liked Daniel of course but only as a friend, right? No it didn't matter he was dating Anna after all and this was cheating, but he didn't instigate the kiss, unless he gave some sort of mixed signal?

Marcus groaned loudly, his brain hurt so much from this new information. His best friend had just kissed him and he didn't know what to say to Anna. Wait, _should_ he say anything? It's not like he did anything wrong, it was probably just a one time accidental thing. Maybe Dan was thinking about something else and he forgot where he was?

Marcus slammed his head into the wall and then winced at the pain from the brick. He wasn't sure what hurt more though...

The wall or his heart.

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	37. Chapter 37

**Platform 9 3/4**

As they all walked down the platform Dan rushed forward not making eye contact with anyone, he had barely even looked at Marcus since the kiss and he had done everything possible to make sure they didn't talk.

"Dan wait!" Marcus yelled as he ran after the Slytherin, but the cart he was pushing with all of his bags was weighing him down and Dan was nimble as he maneuvered through the crowd. By the time Marcus had reached the pillar Dan was already on the other side.

He sighed and Nile finally caught up with him breathing heavily "What's up with him? Everything okay between you two?" he gasped out.

Marcus didn't answer, he looked behind him and saw the Weasley family rushing towards them, "I'll tell you later." he said and they walked through the platform.

They got their stuff packed into the train and grabbed their pets, Nile had his new owl with him and Marcus had Nax curled into his pocket.

They climbed onto the train and looked for their friends, eventually they entered a car with tables instead of booths and saw all of their friends talking. Dan saw Marcus and immediately made a run for the door, completely ignoring his friends questions.

Marcus started towards the door to talk to his friend but he was blocked by Anna "Hey! How was Diagon Alley?" she asked and Marcus stopped dead. Did she know? Did Dan tell her?

"Uh it was fine, I need to talk to Dan." he said quickly before rushing past his girlfriend and into the next car.

He opened the door and scanned the booths for the older boy but couldn't find him. He ran a hand through his hair as he moved onto the next car, eventually he looked into one booth and found Hermione Granger sitting alone staring out the window.

"Hey Granger? You didn't see a guy run through here did you? Like he looked like he was running for his life? Dirty blonde hair? Kind of tall?" he asked and the girl looked at him and shook her head sadly.

"You didn't see Harry Potter or Ron Weasley did you?" she asked softly.

Marcus nodded "Saw the Weasleys on the platform right before we left, the muggle side."

She nodded and sighed before looking out the window, Marcus felt bad, he wanted to comfort the clearly upset student but he had a priority. Find Dan.

He rushed through the rest of the car and couldn't find him, he scratched his head in confusion as this was the last car but Dan was nowhere to be seen. Then he turned around and caught a glimpse of someone outside the window.

He recognized Dan's crazy hairstyle, he was in the very back of the train on the caboose balcony staring at the tracks. Marcus silently opened the door and walked towards his friend, he could hear sniffling and Dan wiped his eyes as he stared at the tracks.

"Stupid stupid STUPID!" he said angrily to himself as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"I hope you aren't talking about yourself." Marcus joked with a small smile, Dan gasped and turned around at his voice and quickly wiped the tears away.

"I have a thing I need to get to." he said standing up and tried to leave but Marcus blocked him, the year before Dan could have easily pushed him out of the way but ever since he hit a growth three weeks prior he was only an inch under Dan now.

"On a train? Going to Hogwarts? You have a thing you need to get to?" he asked and Dan glared at him with tear filled eyes before he turned and hugged himself.

"Go on laugh! Start laughing at the gay guy that kissed his best friend! Hey everyone isn't it hilarious how I kissed my best friend and ruined our friendship!" he shouted angrily to no one.

Marcus stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, Dan tried to fight but he had an iron grip and refused to let go. Eventually Dan stopped fighting and started crying again, soaking the younger boys shoulder with his tears.

"Stop beating yourself up Dan! I would never laugh at you and I would kill anyone that did! You didn't ruin our friendship I promise!" he said and Dan kept crying silently and wouldn't meet his eye.

"I...I'm sorry." he said in a barely audible and Marcus chuckled before pulling him into another hug which Dan hesitantly returned.

After a few seconds Marcus couldn't help it "I didn't exactly stop you anyway."

Dan pulled away with a confused look "You...you did pull away though?"

Marcus smiled and shook his head "The only reason I pulled away was because I didn't know how I felt about it Dan. It was a foreign feeling for me."

Dan nodded before he looked down again "And...what do you think about it?"

He stared into the boys green eyes "I don't know really. All I know is it felt...electric. Like a million volts of electricity running through me. I think...I think I liked it."

Dan grinned and then flicked his eyes down for a split second and Marcus realized just how close they were. They weren't hugging anymore, their hands were on each others waists and they were swaying as if dancing to invisible music.

"I think...maybe I'd like to...um..." Marcus mumbled something under his breath.

Dan leaned forward, a mischievous grin on his lips "What was that Marcus? I didn't catch that last part."

Marcus couldn't take it anymore and crashed his lips onto Dan's who eagerly returned it. They weren't sure how long they were kissing all they knew was the sun was gone replaced by the high pale moon.

When they finally pulled apart Dan was grinning like a lunatic and Marcus gave a small smile "Electric." was all he said.

They kissed again, a quick hesitant one before hugging.

"Oh...My...God!" a voice behind them said.

Marcus turned with a horrified expression as they looked at Sam staring at them with wide eyes.

Marcus gulped hard as he stared at his blabbermouth of a friend who couldn't keep a secret to save his life.

"Not good."

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	38. Chapter 38

**Hogwarts Express**

"No don't make me!" Sam said as Dan and Marcus grabbed him by his legs and dragged him into an empty booth, they shut the door and Sam tried to open the window. They grabbed him and pulled him back in, Marcus blocked the door and Dan blocked the window "Oh come on guys! Don't make me do this! I can't keep a secret you know I can't!"

Marcus held up his hands calmly "It's okay Sam, just calm down alright?" he asked Sam nodded trying to get his breathing under control.

"Okay you two have some explaining to do! What was that?! What about Anna?! Also...WHY WERE YOU KISSING?!"

Marcus winced at how loudly his friend was shouting but he looked down "I...I don't know what that was Sam. You can't tell anyone! If Anna found out she would be crushed! You _have_ to keep this a secret!"

When he looked back up Sam was giving him the most pleading look ever and Dan looked just as ashamed as he was. Sam fell to his knees and put his hands together "Please god no! You know that I'm the worst at keeping secrets! Remember the other day when I told you how your parents are getting you a new broom for Christmas?!"

Marcus shook his head and Sam went wide eyed "Oh, well they are. See?! At this point it's like a freaking habit don't make me keep this from her!"

Dan picked him up by his collar "Sam listen to me you are not saying anything you know why?! Because if you tell her what happened I will personally make your life a living hell!" his glare scaring Sam to his core. Eventually he slowly nodded with a whimper and Dan let him sit down, eventually they all collected themselves and they turned to the door, only to find Nile, Cedric, and Anna standing there smiling.

All three of them yelped as the rest of their group walked in and they all sat down together; Dan, Marcus, and Anna on one side with the others sitting across from them. Anna hooked her arm around Marcus's and rested her head on his shoulder "Where were you guys? I thought _we_ were the ones dating silly!" she said laughing.

Sam laughed loudly before he shut up from the glare Dan and Marcus gave him, Cedric frowned as he looked at Sam. He looked over at Dan and Marcus and looked between the two for a long while before his eyes went wide. He knew!

Marcus gulped and looked to see Anna and Nile talking about charms class before he looked at the fourth year in front him. He made the zipper gesture across mouth and gave a death glare, Cedric wasn't fazed he just mouthed the word 'Later' and then started talking to Sam.

He looked to his right and locked eyes with Dan who looked visibly afraid, he gave him a warm smile and Dan returned it. He pretended to yawn and leaned his head on Marcus's other shoulder, the gesture made him blush so hard he thought he was going to burst into flames, Cedric smirked as he looked at them and Sam groaned and put his face in his hands.

Marcus couldn't think straight...

It was going to be a long year.

 **Great Hall**

"Let the feast begin!" Dumbledore said and the food sprouted everywhere and everyone start gorging themselves. Anna was sitting across from Cedric, Marcus, and Sam and Marcus kept eyeing Sam so he didn't mess up but Sam had found out a way to temporarily hide the secret.

"So Sam tell me about your..." Anna started but Sam practically shouted in protest as he stuffed himself with as much food as he possibly could.

"Mmmff mffmm mmm" he said through a full mouth and looked at Marcus warily before continuing to eat. Cedric bumped his leg and he looked over and saw the boy pointing down, Marcus looked down and saw that he had written a message in fire with his wand under the table.

 _"What's up Marcus? What happened?"_

Marcus took out one of his wands and glanced down every few seconds to write a response in fire as well.

 _"Dan and I kissed"_

Cedric stifled a laugh and Marcus kicked him under the table so hard that he shouted in pain. Everyone near them looked at Cedric who blushed and said he was fine "Sorry about that, I think I need to go to the bathroom." he said.

Marcus stood up "I do too actually and Sam I think you need to go too right?" he asked coldly and Sam stared at him for a few seconds before the message hit him. He nodded and dropped all of his food and followed the two boys.

When they left the great hall Cedric burst out laughing "You and Dan?! Oh man you are in serious trouble Marcus!" he was hugging his stomach he was laughing so hard.

"Yeah laugh it up! You aren't the one with a girlfriend that just got cheated on because her boyfriend was kissing a _guy_!" he shouted and that shut Cedric up. He thought for a second before he gave a small wince.

"Alright I can see how that would be very bad! Why not just tell her? I'm sure she will understand one little kiss and oh my god you guys kissed more than once didn't you?!" he deadpanned. Marcus looked at the ground and nodded.

Cedric sighed and looked at Sam "And you know?" he asked and Sam nodded as he tried to swallow all of the food in his mouth.

Cedric shook his head probably wondering why he was friends with them when the door opened and Dan walked up to them with Nile in tow "What's going on?" Nile asked.

Sam turned to Nile "Marcus and Dan kissed!"

"SAM!" Marcus and Dan both shouted and the short boy cowered in fear and ran behind Cedric for protection.

"I told you guys I suck at this!" he defended as he tried not to look at the two glaring boys.

Nile was a little shocked "Can't say I'm surprised but what about Anna?" he asked and everyone sighed.

"That's what we are trying to figure out Grudge!" Cedric said and he looked around in the hall to make sure they were alone before gesturing them to follow.

They walked out into the courtyard and they all sat down at the long stone bench while Cedric paced around them in thought.

"Okay, okay! First things first! Marcus? How do you feel about Anna? Like your feelings for her what are they?" he asked.

Marcus sighed and put his head in his hands "I...I don't know anymore! I thought she was the love of my life I really did but kissing Dan. It makes me realize that maybe she isn't the one for me. Oh god I'm a horrible person!" he felt tears prickling in his eyes.

Cedric knelt in front of him "Listen to me Marcus, you are far from horrible! I mean, okay yeah what you did was pretty horrible and you did it to your friend so yeah it was...Okay scratch that last part. Forget about kissing Dan if she isn't the one for you then break up with her! Don't tell her you kissed Dan just break up with her."

Marcus didn't know what to do, ever since he met Anna he had thought of a future with her, maybe even marriage but over the last couple weeks, he started to wonder how much of that would come true. He cared for her as he did with all of his loved ones but she wasn't a mythical figure to him anymore, she as just...Anna.

"I have to break up with her don't I?" he asked.

All of his friends nodded and he sighed deeply.

This was going to be rough.

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	39. Chapter 39

"I can't do this!" Marcus said and turned around to leave but his friends grabbed him and pushed him back towards the Great Hall.

"Do it! Marcus do you want to lead her on? If you don't break up with her then you will be in a relationship that is only one sided! That's not fair to you and it is especially not fair to her now get in there and end things." Cedric said pointing to the large doors.

Marcus whimpered before they all heard a strange noise, they looked up and saw two lights in the sky. They all just stopped what they were doing and gazed at what appeared to be a blue Ford flying towards the castle.

"Is that...Okay this day has just been too weird!" Sam said with wide eyes.

Cedric just sighed resigning in the weirdness of the school and turned back to his friend "You can do this Marcus! Remember this isn't for you this is for her! Better to break things off now before she finds out and resents you forever!"

Marcus wanted to argue but he knew Cedric was right, he walked out of the courtyard just as the doors opened and the students started walking to the dormitories. He scanned the crowd and found Anna in the back of the large mass of students, she was talking to Hermione and a Ravenclaw he recognized as Cho Chang. He walked over to the three girls, confident that he could do this, when Cho said something and pointed towards Marcus.

He stopped and saw that Anna looked ready to cry but she nodded and walked over to Marcus wiping her eyes. They both stopped in front of each other and both tried to speak but couldn't find the words "Can we talk?" he yelled over the many people talking and shouting around them.

She nodded and they walked back into the Great Hall, that was now empty, and sat down at their now empty house table. They stared at each other for a few seconds, Anna started snapping her finger softly and Marcus was tapping his ring finger against the wood.

Finally he opened his mouth ready to speak but Anna beat him to it "Mark I...I don't know if we should continue dating."

That sentence hit him like a freight train "Wait what?" he had a this whole thing about talking about their time together and how he was questioning himself. She just came right out and said it, he was stunned to say the least.

She wiped some more tears away "I was talking to some of the other girls and they made me realize something. Mark you're a man of adventure and breaking the rules and defending anyone that's been wronged. I can't keep up with that, I can't keep seeing you in the Hospital Wing wondering if I'll ever be able to see your eyes or your smile again. I can't watch you go into the forest to battle dragons, while I wait to see if you'll come back as nothing but ash. I just can't handle that Mark. I just hope that maybe...we can still be friends?"

Marcus sat there wide eyed, his mind exploding in not only confusion but also relief that this was going to be so much easier than he thought. He smiled and took Anna's hand in his "Anna, of course we can be friends. Coincidentally I was looking for you because I was thinking the same thing." Anna smiled and gave out a relieved sigh.

"But this doesn't mean that it won't be awkward for a while. I think it might be best if we just don't talk for a couple weeks okay?" she asked and Marcus nodded, she got up and then she gave him a soft kiss. Unlike Dan he didn't feel any electric charge when their lips connected. She pulled away and gave him a hug "Thank you for being so sweet Mark, I won't ever forget our time together."

Marcus smiled and nodded, then she walked away and turned the corner. Not five seconds later his friends came rushing in "Well? How did it go?!" they all asked in unison.

"We broke up. Even though I don't have romantic feelings towards her anymore I still feel awful. Why do I feel so bad?!" he asked in a shaky voice.

Cedric sat next to him "Because she means something to you Marcus. Friend, girlfriend, or ex it doesn't matter. What you two had was real and it was sweet but it just wasn't meant to last. You fell into a nice lifestyle with her over the year you guys were together and now it won't be the same. Don't worry about that feeling man, it just means you're human."

It was silent for a long time before Nile broke it with a laugh "Sorry! That was just so sappy! Oh my god Cedric since when did you become a love coach?!" he fell into a fit of laughter after that, sitting down and hugging his stomach.

Everyone eventually joined him until it was just Cedric blushing wildly "Sh-Shut up!" he tried to glare but it just made them laugh even more.

Soon they all started making fun of Cedric and he just got up and left shaking his head, they started after him still teasing until it was just Dan and Marcus standing next to each other.

"So...what now?" the Slytherin asked curiously and they looked at each other and then blushed and turned away.

"I'm actually not sure, what's the waiting period after a break up when it's okay to date again?" he asked.

He was answered by a pair of lips against his cheek "I hope it's soon." Dan said with a smirk before he left...

Leaving the flustered Hufflepuff blushing up a storm.

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	40. Chapter 40

**Hufflepuff Common Room**

Marcus and Anna still weren't talking and it was awkward to say the least, it started with them not even able to stay in the same room as each other, but now they had moved passed that. Now it was even more awkward because if either of them spoke while they were in the same room they both became deadly quiet and blushed.

"She is in nearly all of my classes and we are in the same house Cedric! What should I do?!" he asked as he laid on a bench. Cedric was laying in the grass next to him reading a book, he sighed before he looked at the third year.

"Why not try out for the Quidditch team Marcus? With your build you might make a fair Beater." he suggested. Marcus contemplated this, he never had thought about Quidditch considering the first experience he ever had with a broom he had shattered his nose.

"I guess I could try it out, but just to get away from Anna, I think seeing me is a torturous to her as it she is to me." he said finally and Cedric hopped up with a smile.

"That's the spirit! Try outs are tomorrow! Don't be late!" he said and walked off.

 **The Next Day**

"Alright everyone listen up! I just want to remind you that even if you were on the team last year it doesn't mean you're on the team this year got it?!" Cedric yelled and everyone nodded. Marcus was fidgeting with the straps on his hands and then a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sam grinning wildly.

"Hey Marcus I didn't know you were trying out! I tried last year, didn't make it! Going for Keeper again!" he said before Cedric called out some names for Beaters.

"Okay lets see...Marcus and Anthony! Let's see what you got!" he yelled and the Marcus looked over at the slender boy to his right as they both climbed on their brooms and flew into the air with their clubs. Cedric opened the Quidditch box and looked up at them "Okay, your goal here is to try and knock the other flyer off their broom okay guys?! We'll be ready to save you guys if you get knocked out or anything. Ready? GO!" and with that he released the bludgers.

Marcus gripped his bat and looked at Anthony as he flew forward and swung, he struck the bludger with a sharp _CRACK_ and it shot towards Marcus. He gasped and ducked his head, he could feel the enchanted ball brush his hair and he dived down. He shot towards the hoops and when he looked back Anthony was on his tail trying to aim a hit at him.

Marcus saw a bludger heading right for him and he shot to the side and swung the bat. He struck the ball and if Anthony had not been as nimble as he was, the bludger might have split his skull open. He leaned to the side and the bludger shot past him, Marcus saw the bludgers flying around them and then one shot straight down and he didn't know what else to do except nosedive.

He hurtled towards the sand covered ground and at the last second he pulled up and the bludger struck the sand and seemed to be embedded in the ground. He slowed down and saw the bludger trying to free itself, then he saw Anthony trying to get close to the other one to swing.

Marcus quickly formulated a plan as the free bludger shot towards him with Anthony close behind, he shot forward with his club out just as they trapped bludger freed itself. Marcus swung and poured all of his strength into the hit and and the iron ball was propelled towards Anthony right as Marcus hooked his legs around the broom and just let himself fall to the side. Anthony hit the bludger he was chasing but because Marcus dropped and was hanging upside down it flew right by him right as his bludger slammed into Anthony's stomach and he fell off his broom.

That was when Marcus realized he had no idea how to get out of the position he was in and his legs grew weak and he fell right off of it and rolled across the sand.

He groaned a little and shook the sand out of his hair and eyes, when he could see again Cedric, Sam, and the rest of the team were grinning down at him "What?" he asked curiously. Cedric held out his hand and Marcus took it and hauled him to his feet and clapped him on the back.

"Welcome to the team Marcus! You're our new Beater!" he said happily and everyone cheered. Anthony walked up to him, hugging his stomach in pain, and shook his hand.

"That was some pretty clever flying. You'll have to teach me that move." he said before groaning loudly and hugging his stomach tighter.

Marcus chuckled and smiled as his team congratulated him, when Cedric started calling for the next Beater position he looked over and saw Anthony. Even though they had shook hands he looked crestfallen, Marcus walked over and sat next to him "Sorry Anthony, about the position and the bludger."

Anthony nodded "It's okay Marcus, you're the better player so you deserve the post."

Marcus nodded and then breathed deeply before smiling "There's always next year man. Maybe you'll kick my ass next season during the tryouts." Anthony couldn't help but laugh and soon they were both laughing hysterically.

"Come on, I'm buying you a Butterbeer. to show that their are no hard feelings." Marcus offered and Anthony perked up and nodded with a smile.

The two left the Quidditch field smiling and laughing about how Marcus was probably going to be knocked off his broom in his first game.

Which Marcus couldn't wait for now.

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	41. Chapter 41

**Grand Staircase**

Marcus was walking up the stairs with Sam right next to him smiling like a lunatic "I can't believe I did it! I practiced as much as I could over the summer and it finally paid off!" he said. He had not stopped talking about how he made the Keeper position on the Quidditch team but Marcus made Beater so he was just excited for their game on Friday.

They saw Nile and Dan walking down the stairs and Marcus rushed through the groups of people and threw his arms around them, scaring them as he was behind them. When they realized who it was they smiled, both of them beaming with joy.

"What has you guys so happy?!" he asked and the two Slytherins had a silent conversation before Nile's grin grew even wider.

"I just had a conversation with Professor Snape! Even though I'm only a third year he's considering me for Prefect in our fifth year!" he said and Marcus went wide eyed before giving him a big hug and congratulating him. Then he turned to Dan and judging from the Slytherin Quidditch uniform Marcus had a pretty good idea of what he was going to say.

"I made the Quidditch team! Chaser!" he said proudly and Marcus laughed as he gave him a lingering hug. They pulled away and their faces were inches from each before Dan cleared his throat and they pulled away, it was too soon anyway to even think about dating. Marcus didn't think about it for long because he remembered the game on Friday was Hufflepuff versus Slytherin and Marcus laughed even harder.

"I just made the Quidditch team too Dan! Beater!" he said and Dan smiled happily before the realization dawned on him.

"Dude we are going to be against each other next game! I promise I'll go easy on you!" he said smugly.

Marcus scoffed "Oh yeah? Maybe I'll blindfold myself and chop my hands off, make it an even fight." he retorted.

Dan laughed before shaking hands with Marcus...

"I guess we'll see!"

 **Friday**

"Another point for Hufflepuff! The score is now forty to forty!" Lee announced and Marcus was having the time of his life, he had his club in hand, Cedric had not been hit once the whole game and it made Marcus feel proud, he had also taken out one Slytherin Beater. He felt invincible!

He looked across the field as he flew behind Cedric and he caught a glimpse of Dan, who just grabbed the quaffle, making his way to hoops. Sam was anxious and alert as Dan threw the ball and he swung down and kicked it out of the way.

Marcus laughed before he saw the bludger heading right for Cedric, he shot up and swung his club, nearly hitting the older Seeker had he not ducked. He struck the bludger and it flew away, Cedric laughed "Nice one Marcus! You're a natural!"

Marcus grinned and Cedric suddenly perked his head up and started looking around and then he started flying away, he must have seen the Golden Snitch. Marcus trailed behind with his bat at the ready, and he saw the other enemy Beater heading towards him, he struck a bludger and he barely had enough time to barrel roll out of the way.

That Beater was out for blood!

Marcus smirked, he wasn't going to be taken out that easily. He made a sharp turn and left Cedric and like he suspected the Beater chased after him. He saw a bludger ahead of him heading towards Cedric and Marcus made a quick brake turn as the bludger passed and swung.

The bludger shot towards the Beater like a bullet but he was quick...

Dan, however, was not.

The Beater dodged but he didn't see that Dan was flying behind him with the quaffle in hand. The bludger struck his chest and he flew right off his broom and fell to the ground. It wasn't a long fall but what really scared Marcus is the fact that Dan landed on his head and laid on the ground motionless.

Marcus forgot everything! He didn't care about the game, he didn't care about winning, he didn't care that he was about to be considered out. He flew down to the ground and jumped off his broom and ran to his injured friend.

Dan's eyes were closed and he appeared to be breathing but as Marcus knelt next to his friend he realized that he was not okay at all!

Dan's neck was swollen and a very dark purple, his complexion was incredibly pale. He had seen this injury before in the Hospital Wing, he had a broken neck.

"Dan?! Can you hear me?! Dan?!" he shouted but the boy didn't respond. Marcus started hyperventilating and freaking out as Cedric caught the Golden Snitch and ended the game. Marcus could not have cared less though, he was too concerned for his friend.

He sat down behind him and very carefully elevated his neck onto his lap so he could breath easier. He could feel tears prickling in his eyes, as he looked up and saw his friends and a few professors running towards him.

"Hey Marcus why did you..." the words died in Cedrics throat as he saw Dan on the ground, he ran up to them and checked for any more injuries. Marcus let a few tears fall as Madame Pomfrey examined him, he let her take care of him and he hesitantly stood up.

Then he heard someone laughing behind him.

He turned and saw Draco Malfoy laughing "Serves that traitor right! A broken neck seems like a reasonable punishment for someone like him!"

Marcus saw red as he picked up his bat and started towards the blonde haired boy "Allow me to give you a firsthand experience!" he shouted and raised his bat.

Sam, Cedric, and practically the entire Hufflepuff team had to keep him from killing Draco.

Finally he stopped trying and just threw his bat on the ground, he looked back and saw them putting Dan on a stretcher. He ran over to the unconscious boy, he looked even paler than before and a few more tears broke free.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Dans, he heard a few gasps and a few snickers but he didn't care. He pressed his forehead against his "I'm ready now." he said softly. After that they took Dan away and Marcus just followed them not looking at all of the people staring at him.

 **Three Days Later**

Marcus had slept for maybe an hour since the accident. He felt horrible, guilt constantly gnawed at him, this was his fault he was the one that hit the bludger and knocked him off his broom. Dan was wearing a neck brace and was assured that he would be okay he just need to rest while the bone healed.

He sat next to his bed and gripped Dans hand tightly "I'm so sorry Dan! Oh my god I'm so sorry!" he repeated like a mantra. He had cried so much that Pomfrey had to keep bringing him water so he didn't pass out from dehydration.

Suddenly he felt a twitch in the hand he was holding, he looked up and saw Dans eyes flutter open "What...What the hell?" he asked softly scanning his surroundings.

Marcus smiled so wide it actually hurt his cheeks, he stood up so Dan could see him and the Slytherin seemed to immediately calm down at the sight of him.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Marcus asked and Dan tried to move but winced.

"Sore. What happened?" he asked and it was those two words that Marcus had been dreading for days. He looked down and bit his lip terrified of what Dan would say to him.

"I...I accidentally...I hit you with a bludger. I'm so sorry Dan! Please don't hate me!" he said quickly and wouldn't meet his eye. After a few moments of silence he looked up and saw that Dan was smiling "Why are you smiling? I broke your neck and nearly killed you!"

Dan sighed "I may have been dreaming but...did you say you were ready?" he asked and Marcus took his hand and sat down next to the bed. He kissed Dans hand and nodded, amazed that he had heard him and even more amazed that he remembered that.

"Seeing you on the ground, your neck swelling up and hearing the way you were breathing because of it. It made me realize how much you mean to me. Daniel Barnes, will you go out with me?" he asked and Dan sniffled with tears in his eyes.

"Absolutely."

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	42. Chapter 42

**Hospital Wing**

When Dan had recovered Marcus helped him out of his bed, he rubbed his neck that was stiff from the injury. They started towards the door and Marcus linked his hands with Dans, who retracted immediately.

"What's wrong? Too soon? I'm sorry." he said and looked at the ground, he looked up to see Dan looking at him with a soft smile, he then leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"It's not that it's just...do you know how homosexuals are treated? Especially in America? I think it might be better if maybe we just...keep our relationship a secret. Just for now at least." he said. Marcus coughed awkwardly and wouldn't meet his eye "What? What's wrong Marcus?"

He looked up at Dan "I...might have...kissed you on the Quidditch field when I thought you were going to die. In front of like the entire school." he gave a cowering smile afraid that Dan was going to scream for outing him but he just laughed.

When he finally calmed down he pulled him into a hug "Well, since no one has come to call me an abomination or throw holy water in my face I guess that means I have nothing to worry about then!" he said with a large smile as he took Marcus's hand.

Marcus quickly kissed him on the cheek "You know when you were out Professor Mcgonagall came up, first of all to tell me to never feel ashamed of who you are and that the Dueling Club is going to open again!"

Dan brightened and then they both realized that they had been standing next to the bed the entire time and had not moved. They chuckled and left the room smiling.

 **That Night**

"Well it appears that not even a bludger can rid me of you cretins." Snape said annoyed as Marcus and Dan walked into the Great Hall for dinner. Marcus grinned, knowing full well that deep down Snape cared otherwise he would not have tried so hard to convince him to be an animagus.

The thought made him realize that he was soon going to be an animagus, he had already completed the Mandrake leaf in his mouth for a month. He was able to accomplish it after he and Anna broke up since he didn't feel like talking during that time. After that he and Snape had to find a silver teaspoon and dew and something about no sunlight or feet for seven days, by that point he was so bored that he didn't care what they were looking for.

All that was left was to wait for an electrical storm and say the animagus spell every day.

When they entered the hall nearly everyone stopped their conversations and looked at them. Both of them started blushing when Nile and Cedric both walked up to them and group hugged them, "I'm so glad you're okay Dan! We were all worried sick about you!" Nile said with a look of relief.

They heard a scoff behind them and they turned to see a second year Slytherin glaring at them, all of the students had gone back to what they were doing except for a few who seemed curious as to what was about to happen. the Slytherin didn't drop her glare "You do realize that being gay is a sin right? Both of you are going straight to Hell and you will deserve it!" she said confidently.

Marcus wasn't sure what to say. We're in a magical school learning about mythical creatures and harnessing our powers and you are still a Christian? You're like eleven what the hell do you know? Do you want a black eye? The options made Marcus smile a little.

Nile however was the one that stepped in "I think you should back off you little brat." he said giving her a death stare. She wouldn't leave and continued staring at the newly formed couple, eventually she just huffed in anger and walked to her table.

"I think it might be best if you eat with us Dan, most of Slytherin house is supportive but with Draco and his gang I don't want to take any chances." Marcus said and steered him towards the Hufflepuff table. When they sat down a bunch of the students stopped talking and stared at them "Okay what did I do? Why do you guys keep staring at us?" he asked questioningly.

Cedric sat down next to him as he waved goodbye to Nile who was going back to his table "It's because of your little stunt on the Quidditch field Marcus. You know, you knock an enemy flyer off his broom and you just stop what you're doing and run to help him. You tried to practically kill Draco when he laughed and then in front of the whole school you kissed Dan. That kind of thing is talked about, although the biggest thing I'm hearing is girls complaining about how your not into girls." he explained with a grin.

Marcus laughed "Complaining?! I'm not very good looking Cedric." he said and Dan slapped him in the back of the head before he kissed his cheek.

"You are _very_ good looking!" he said softly and Marcus grinned widely at the comment. As soon as Dan kissed him all of the people around him snickered and whispered to each other, Marcus chuckled before he cleared his throat and earned nearly his entire tables attention.

"Guys I know what you're whispering about so let me explain, Daniel Barnes is my boyfriend! Alright continue with what you were doing." he announced and his whole table erupted in laughter and people handing betso out.

Cedric laughed deeply and Sam, who was so engrossed with his ham that he finally noticed the two, grinned happily "You guys are actually a cute couple! I totally see you guys...oh my god turkey!" he said and practically leaped over the table to get a piece, startling a bunch of students.

Everyone laughed and even if a student of another house was sitting at his table, none of the professors said anything which Marcus was grateful for. After dinner they all started back, they were walking down the hall joking and laughing when everyone came to a dead stop. He frowned, wondering what it was that had everyone stopped, he pushed his way through and saw Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger all looking horrified, Marcus looked up and realized why.

Their was a message written on the wall...

 _The Chamber of Secrets has been opened...Enemies of the heir beware_


	43. Chapter 43

**Dueling Club**

"Gather around! Gather around!" Lockhart shouted as he walked across the platform. The Dueling Club had been opened earlier than expected because after the night of the message written on the wall everyone was scared. However for some reason Dumbledore tasked Professor Lockhart with running the club instead of Marcus and Dan, the thought annoyed him to no end.

He and Dan were in the back of the room, he was sitting on the windowsill and Dan was resting his head on his lap, Marcus was stroking his hair as Lockhart was explaining how he started the club. The thought made Marcus want to vomit he hated Lockhart, he was so full of himself it was sickening.

Marcus leaned against the window in boredom as he went over the dueling rules. Then he called up Professor Snape and he perked up "Oh this is going to be fun." he whispered to Dan who also suddenly became interested in the class.

They watched as the two teachers walked away from each other and Snape fired the Disarming Charm and knocked the new DADA teacher across the room. Dan and Marcus could barely contain their laughter as Lockhart stood up and put a smile on his face. He claimed it was obvious what Snape was going to do and he could easily have blocked it. Marcus rolled his eyes "Perhaps you should teach students to block unfriendly spells first." he said and Marcus grinned at Lockharts expression.

"We should have two duel then uh, Potter, Weasley. You two come up." he said and Snape interjected and called up Draco Malfoy. They both held up their wands and then turned to walk to the end of the platform, when they turned back Lockhart said to only disarm the opponent. Before he even said three Draco fired a charm and shot Harry across the platform, Marcus was confused as to why the professor was not saying anything as Harry fired a jinx and shot Draco back.

"This is ridiculous!" Marcus whispered and started to take his wands out but Dan put his hand on his.

"Hang on a second." he said and Marcus lowered his wands as Draco, for some reason, summoned a snake from his wand. After Lockhart stupidly sent the snake high in the air it turned on a student, Marcus recognized the kid from the year before, it was Justin. The snake hissed and bared its fangs at the younger boy, and then Harry started speaking.

He was speaking a strange language, it almost seemed familiar to Marcus, the way he was pronouncing certain sounds it was almost like...

"Parseltongue" he gasped and Dan turned to look him in the eyes confused. Marcus cleared his throat softly "It's the language of snakes, I don't know how Harry knows it though because it's hereditary. Also it has a bad history, Salazar Slytherin was one."

Dan frowned "But aren't you..." Marcus shook his head.

"I'm Drakkantongue, it's similar to Parseltongue but it's non-hereditary. I can't speak to snakes I can only speak to dragons, I have no idea what Harry is saying." he explained as the famous second year continued to speak to the snake. The snake seemed hesitant to attack Justin before Professor Snape intervened and burned the snake out of existence. After that everyone was silent and watched as Harry ran out of the room, Ron and Hermione followed close behind.

"Yes well, I'm sure another dueling pair is in order don't you say? Um...you there in the back!" Lockhart said pointing at Marcus. He glared at him before he hopped down and walked up the platform, Snape looked at him warily before calling up another Slytherin. Goyle or something all he knew was he was one of Dracos cronies.

They held their wands up and before either of the teachers opened their mouths Goyle started firing random curses and jinxes which Marcus blocked. After a while he fired back and Goyle shot back, he looked angry and then another Slytherin hopped up and helped Goyle. Marcus continued to block both of their spells with ease, then he heard scuffling behind him. He turned and saw another Slytherin, Pansy? He wasn't sure, getting up behind him ready to fire.

Marcus turned to his side and had both wands up and blocked both his sides, though he wondered how he was going to fight back now that both his wands were being used as shields. As he continued to block he formed a plan, as soon as Goyle and Pansy fired their curse Marcus dropped to the ground and the curses flew past him and they struck the other. Pansy and Goyle both fell to the ground and Marcus fired and struck the last Slytherin in the chest with the Body Binding Curse.

Once they were all taken care of the room was deadly silent, even Snape was shocked. He started to blush when all of a sudden the room erupted in cheers, everyone was cheering, even Slytherin house. Lockhart looked annoyed, probably because he wasn't getting any attention, but he didn't care. He hopped down off the platform and was swarmed by his friends who all started clapping him on the back and congratulating him.

"You took on three people at once! That was amazing Marcus!" Sam said and people started to clear out. Lockhart stepped down with a smile and walked over to them.

"Yes well, I'm sure it was my brilliant teaching that led to this courageous feat! Well done Marcus you have really taken my teaching to heart!" and with that Lockhart left whistling. Marcus glared at him some more as everyone left and it was just his friends with him. Dan stepped forward and pulled him into a hug which turned into a huge group hug knocking the breath out of Marcus.

Sam snickered a little and everyone looked at him "What's so funny Sam?" Marcus asked with a smile.

Sam shook his head "It's just...Double Duel Dine! Kinda catchy isn't it?" he asked and his friends started giggling too.

Eventually they just started calling him Double Duel Dine and teased him as they all walked out of the room.


	44. Chapter 44

**Headmasters Office - Two Weeks Later**

"This is the night Mr. Dine, you have been using the spell correct?" Dumbledore asked. Marcus nodded as Snape walked in holding the potion that he had been dreading to drink for months now, it gave off a strange glow as if it was glowing in the dark.

"Follow me you are to drink it after the first lightning strike. Quickly." Snape said and the two quickly made their way down until they were out in the main courtyard. Snape turned and handed him the potion "Keep your eyes open for lightning Mr. Dine." he said and they both started looking into the cloudy and rainy sky.

Marcus gulped as he looked at the man in front of him and remembered their heated conversation last term "Professor Snape? I just wanted to say I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought up the whole Death Eater thing. I wasn't thinking and it was wrong of me to think that you were still faithful to the Dark Lord." he said staring at the ground.

Snape merely glared at him before rolling his eyes, then a large bolt of lightning struck down into the Forbidden Forest. Marcus quickly took out his wand and placed it over his heart _"Amato Animo Animato Animagus!"_ he said before he uncorked the potion and quickly drank it.

Marcus felt a strange sensation in his stomach before suddenly it felt like his entire body was tingling. Suddenly his eyesight became a little sharper, he could feel his hands start to change into paws, he could feel himself shrink a little and he fell on all fours. He looked down and saw brown paws and sharp black claws, his hearing seemed to intensify significantly as he looked up and saw Snape staring down at him. He sighed deeply "Well, I suppose this form will be inconspicuous enough to keep and eye on the Potter boy."

Marcus cocked his head before he walked over to a puddle and looked at his reflection. He was a wolf! A brown wolf, he opened his mouth and revealed sharp teeth, he laughed happily but it wasn't a laugh, his tongue fell out and he panted quickly which seemed like a dog laughing. He lifted his head to the moon and took a deep breath before letting out a loud piercing howl. After that he concentrated and he could feel himself grow taller and upright.

He opened his eyes and he was standing in his regular clothes in the rain with a dopey smile on his face "That was awesome!" he shouted. Snape looked annoyed but rolled his eyes and walked back into the school, Marcus started to follow but then he turned and saw the forest in the distance.

He grinned and instead of going into the school he took off running and turned into a wolf and he seemed to increase speed as he ran towards the trees. As soon as he was in the forest he started running around trees and chasing random small animals. He let out another howl, he couldn't believe how freeing this was it was the most fun he has ever had. He ran down a hill and saw a small stream, he slowed down and took a quick drink enjoying the cool near freezing water running down his throat.

Then he heard the growl.

He turned and saw a large grey wolf approaching him, Marcus wasn't sure exactly what to do so he just bared his fangs and growled. Then he heard more and saw another wolf crossing the stream and another coming up behind him. It was a pack, he must have gone into their territory without knowing.

He wasn't sure what to do so he did the first thing that came into his brain.

He ran.

He took off up the hill and didn't even look back but he could hear the wolves close behind as he picked up his speed, the school came into view and he poured all of his strength into running as he crossed the bridge to the courtyard. He didn't stop running as the door seemed to open itself and he jumped into the school. He slid across the floor and slammed into one of the stone statues before he turned back into human form.

He was drenched in sweat and rain as he laid on the ground heaving and panting, his lungs screaming for air as the world seemed to spin around him. He wasn't sure when but at some point Dumbledore came into his field of view "A word of caution Mr. Dine; Freedom can make a man drunk, and with that he makes mistakes. Use this new found power wisely or else it may be your own downfall. Goodnight." he said as he walked away.

Marcus started to get his breathing under control as he looked out, the storm was getting worse. He wasn't sure what made him laugh but suddenly he found himself laughing almost crazily as he waved his wand and the door closed. He was hugging his stomach as he gasped for air when suddenly he heard something, some kind of rumbling nearby, he looked around but saw nothing.

After hauling himself up he walked down the hall towards his common room and he heard the rumbling some more he started getting a little scared and picked up his pace. Suddenly he heard a crash ahead of him, he started running and eventually he slipped and slid across the stone floor.

He groaned loudly as his back stung from sliding across the ground, he was wondering why their was so much water on the floor when he looked ahead. He gasped as he stared into the shocked eyes of his friend. Sam was laying on the ground, he appeared to be frozen in mid-scream. It looked like he was looking out the window and he saw something that made him scream before he had been petrified.

Marcus ran over to his friend "Help! Someone help me!" he screamed as loudly as he could, his voice echoing through the halls. He continued to scream for help as he checked is friend, definitely petrified and not dead, he let out a sigh of relief.

Eventually Snape and Sprout came around the corner "Mr. Dine what happened?!" Snape demanded. Marcus quickly explained himself as he and Sprout hauled Sam onto a stretcher and took him to the infirmary. Once he was settled into the bed Marcus wouldn't leave until Sprout practically dragged him out of there.

"Marcus I understand you are upset but if you want to help then please go to bed. Tomorrow I will need your help with the Mandrakes so we can cure those that have been petrified." she explained. Marcus wanted to argue, but he knew she was right, he made his way back to the common room and he could still see the wet ground he had slid across when he found Sam.

He shivered and quickly made his way to his bed...

He didn't sleep at all that night.

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	45. Chapter 45

**Hufflepuff Common Room**

Marcus didn't sleep at all that night and when he came out of the dormitory the next morning he knew he must have looked worse than he felt. His hair was a rats nest, he had bags under his eyes, and anyone that tried to talk to him he gave a tired death glare.

As he walked out and laid on the couch to get a little sleep a second year boy came in with three people behind him "I'm telling you the heir has to be Potter!" he said in a near accusatory tone. Marcus cracked one eye open and saw them all sitting down at the table. He shrugged it off and went back to his nap when the annoying kid opened his mouth again.

"Remember what I said the other day? Right before Justin got attacked? The reason You-know-who attacked Potter in the first place was most likely because he didn't want another Dark Lord competing against him. Salazar was even nicknamed Serpent Tongue! Being a Parseltongue always marks a dark and evil wizard." he explained and Marcus had quite enough.

"Will you please shut your mouth kid!" he growled without opening his eyes. He heard footsteps and opened his eyes to see him standing above him glaring down at him.

"You know I'm right! You're just jealous that I figured it out!" he said in a victorious tone. Marcus snarled like a wolf and got off the couch, he was at least a head taller than the boy and he knew that the boy wasn't expecting him to be so big.

"You say that Parseltongue marks a dark wizard? Well guess what so does Drakkantongue! In case you haven't noticed I'm still a good wizard!" he barked out and the kid looked at him like he had just broken his wand in a fit of rage.

"What on earth is Drakkantongue?" he asked and Marcus let out a number of growls and guttural sounds. Not two seconds later Nax flew out of the dormitory and landed on his hair, then he happily cuddled into the disheveled hair and fell asleep.

"It's a different version of Parseltongue you idiot! It usually marks a great tragedy or a dark wizard and guess what? I'm not! So before you start accusing people of something they aren't maybe you should remember that in this house we don't judge! So how about you give Harry the benefit of the doubt and shut your mouth!" he said angrily before he left the dumbfounded boy in the common room, only to run right into Professor Sprout.

"Oh...Professor. Did you need something?" he asked shyly knowing full well she just heard the mean things he was saying to the kid. She gave a complete neutral expression as she nodded and gestured for him to follow her.

Once they were out of the common room Sprout stopped him "Mr. Dine, I am truly so proud of you!" she said smiling widely. Marcus was shocked to say the least, he didn't know what to say or what she was even talking about.

She sighed softly "You stood up for Harry Potter, yes he probably doesn't need anyone standing up for him, but what you said to that second year is truly what this house is about. Never to judge others, Mr. Dine you are a very remarkable student."

Marcus nodded and then something random itched at his mind "Professor Sprout, as you know I am now an animagus...okay well _now_ you know" he said as he saw Sprout gasp "Anyway I turned into a wolf. I read that an animagus takes the form of the animal that truly defines you. Do you know why mine is a wolf?"

Sprout smiled "Mr. Dine a wolf is loyal, brave, and not afraid to stand against those that threaten them. Honestly Mr. Dine the only way you could be more of a true Hufflepuff is if your animagus was a honey badger!"

They both laughed at the thought before Marcus gathered himself "So what did you need help with?"

Sprout stopped laughing as well "Ah yes I need your help with the Mandrakes, and you can bring a friend if you wish, the more the merrier." she said but before she was even finished with her sentence he was running down the hall.

He entered the Great Hall and saw his friends all talking and laughing as they ate breakfast. He quickly zeroed in on the boy that always made his heart beat faster "Hey Danny want to help me with something?" he asked.

Dan smiled and nodded before saying goodbye to their friends "So what are we going to do?" he asked as he linked his hand with Marcus's.

"We are going to help Professor Sprout with the Mandrake Draught." he said and Dan looked a little confused before he remembered that Sam was petrified. Marcus also wanted him close by because he did not want Dan to become petrified being from a muggle family.

As they walked down the halls towards the greenhouses Marcus wrapped a hand around Dans waist and pulled him close. He remembered the strange rumbling noise he heard last night and it still scared him, he looked around as if expecting whatever made those sounds to jump out and attack.

"Come on Professor Sprout is waiting!" Dan said and they raced to the greenhouse Marcus looked around and remembered that it was the weekend, barely anyone was awake so he might as well give his boyfriend a little scare.

He quickly turned into a wolf and zoomed ahead of Dan and stopped at the greenhouse, Dan slowed to a stop as he stared at the animal that suddenly appeared. He turned around but saw that Marcus was no longer there, Marcus internally grinned as he approached Dan baring his fangs.

Dan gulped "N-Nice doggy." he whimpered and then Marcus couldn't hold it anymore he turned back and laughed hysterically.

"Doggy?! You wound me! I'm clearly a wolf!" he gasped as he tried to contain his laughter but failed miserably. Dan was utterly shocked as he stared at the laughing boy in front of him "Aw what's wrong Danny? Wolf got your tongue?" he said with a mischievous grin.

Dan finally smiled before he punched Marcus in the arm, which didn't stop him from laughing hysterically "That was so mean! Also what was that?!" he demanded.

Marcus got himself together and wiped away the tears, he stood up and pecked Dan on the cheek "Tonight, get everyone together and I'll explain alright?" he said.

Dan nodded as he kissed Marcus "Let's go help with the Mandrakes." he said.

They walked into the greenhouse holding hands.

 **That Night**

"Alright Marcus what did you need to show us that will and I'm quoting Dan on this 'freak us down to hell'?" Cedric asked as all of his friends, minus Sam, gathered in the clockwork courtyard. The moon was high in the sky and if Filch caught them they would be in trouble, but none of them seemed to care.

Anna was there but she had not said a word, Marcus guessed they still weren't on speaking terms yet but he didn't mind at the moment.

"Okay guys, check this out!" he said and quickly turned into a wolf. Everyone gasped as he used his hind leg to scratch behind his ear, he didn't know why but for some reason right behind his ear was like heaven.

"Pretty cool right?" Dan said with a smile as he walked over and scratched behind his other ear, Marcus felt like he was on Cloud Nine. He didn't realize it but he stuck his tongue out and soon Cedric ran over and started petting him, then Anna ran over and started giving him a belly rub, then Nile stepped forward and scratched under his chin.

Marcus knew that this would look really strange, in fact just being so close to all his friends like this would look like the weirdest thing ever. Cedric seemed to read his mind because he stopped everyone from petting Marcus "Uh guys...you do realize that this isn't a real wolf. We are petting Marcus." he said.

Everyone pulled back and stopped petting and Marcus quickly turned back, he stumbled because he still had that euphoric feeling in his head from the ear scratch. He gave a wolfish grin, he knew that the more he became an animagus the more some of the wolves characteristics would stick.

"Well, thank you for that! However that's not...hey who's that?" he asked pointing to a silhouette in a window in the distance. Everyone was supposed to be asleep and Filch wouldn't light a room as he walked by so this was strange. As he stared he noticed a bright flash and then nothing came from the room.

Everyone followed him and Marcus couldn't help it, but he turned into a wolf and walked next to his group. They slowly made their way towards the lit room and Marcus perked his ears up, he heard footsteps, he turned back and pushed everyone into a dark corner "Sh, stay quiet!" he whispered harshly.

They all stayed perfectly still as Dumbledore and a few others ran down the hall with a stretcher "Is this the Creevey boy? Oh dear!" they heard Mcgonagall say. A few minutes later they ran back with Colin Creevey on the stretcher. He appeared to be petrified as he held his camera in front of his face, Marcus sighed, he had seen the boy earlier in the year, he was incredibly energetic and very kind.

When they were gone he and his friends stepped out in shock "Exactly like Sam, oh god I hope he's okay!" Marcus said sadly. Dan put an arm around him and Marcus rested his head on his shoulder, he looked over and saw Anna looking at them for a second before she started to walk away.

"Hey guys I'll be right back, I think it's time me and Anna started talking again." he said and walked over to the dark haired girl while Cedric led his friends after the teachers and petrified student.

Marcus turned into a wolf and ran in front of the girl, he sat down and wagged his tail, she stared down at him and he cocked his head to the side. Eventually she couldn't help it and a small smile broke through her lips, she stifled a laugh and Marcus quickly turned back into a human.

"So, do you think enough time has passed that...we could talk again? I actually really miss having you as my potions partner." he said nervously scratching the back of his head. He then winced because his dragon ring cut his neck, Anna giggled as he rubbed his hand over the cut and pulled back a little bit of blood.

Anna rolled her eyes with a smile as she pulled out her wand, "Turn around Mark." she said and flicked her wand. He could feel the small wound close and when he turned back they were both smiling "Sure Mark, we can talk again. Can you just answer me something?" and he nodded with a curious look.

"You and Dan...are you two...together? I mean it was clear you had feelings for him when you kissed him on the Quidditch field but I wasn't sure if you were just being a protective friend when you guys said you were boyfriends or if you two actually were together." she asked and Marcus nodded nervously.

"Boyfriends, it was actually the reason why I wanted to break up. I was questioning myself and I didn't want to lead you on or anything because that is not fair to you. You deserve someone that makes you happy and I can't give you that." he said truthfully.

Anna nodded and then threw her arms around him "I missed you too Mark, and I'm happy for you. I really am!" Marcus hugged back with a smile.

After that was done, he and Anna started catching up on things that happened when they weren't talking, and Anna decided it would be fun to play fetch with Marcus. She threw a stick out into the courtyard and Marcus, as a wolf, ran after it and brought it back in his mouth. He thought the idea was idiotic but he simply could not help but chase the stick as soon as it left her hand.

He turned back and was breathing heavily from all the running "Please stop! It's like an insatiable instinct to chase that stick!" he said with a laugh. Anna laughed as they both made their way back to the common room bantering like old times.

That night Marcus finally got a good nights sleep.

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	46. Chapter 46

**A few months later**

"Oh my back!" Marcus groaned as he laid on the ground of his dormitory, his teammates groaned and looked to be in just as much pain. Cedric walked in with a whistle and laughed at the scene in front of him.

"Really guys? You gotta get better at dodging, those bludgers are not friendly!" he said as he grabbed a book and walked out. Marcus sat up and cracked his back, easing some of the pain.

"I'm going to get some air okay?" he said to his teammates who just groaned in response. Marcus walked out of his common room and saw that it was empty in the halls, it was late at night so no one should even be out.

He quickly changed into a wolf and made his way through the twisting halls making sure to keep his ears alert in case anyone walked by. He finally made it outside and enjoyed the blowing and crisp air of the night when he heard muttering behind him.

He leaped into the shadows and stayed perfectly still, he heard voices but didn't see anything. Then it seemed like the air shimmered and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley revealed themselves under an invisibility cloak, they looked around "Sorry Harry I just need to tie my shoe then we can go to Hagrids." Ron said.

After that they put the cloak back on and vanished in the air, Marcus waited a few seconds for them to leave before he moved. Dumbledore had told him that he had to look after Harry and protect him for the time being, he still didn't understand why but he knew Dumbledore trusted him enough to do this and he wouldn't let him down.

He slowly and stealthily made his way over to Hagrids home and he caught a glimpse of Harry and Ron entering it. He ran as fast as he could to the side of the hut where a window was slightly ajar and listened in on their conversation. He could only catch snippets of it because he soon heard other voices, he poked his head around the hut and saw two figures approaching. Marcus let out a very canine sounding whimper before he ducked under a small opening underneath the house.

Cornelius Fudge and Dumbledore walked in and again he didn't hear much but seeing as how their wasn't any screaming he had to guess that Ron and Harry were hidden. Then he peered out of the small opening and saw Lucius Malfoy approaching, it took everything Marcus had not to jump out and sink his fangs into the horrible mans neck.

A few minutes after he left the door opened and the men all walked out "If anyone was looking for some stuff, all they would have to do is follow the spiders." Hagrid said loudly before following them out. When he walked out and shut the door Marcus looked out again and caught a glimpse of Dumbledore, he turned around and stared directly into his eyes and gave him a wink before leaving with the rest of them.

Marcus then heard commotion and footsteps, the two boys walked out with a lantern with Fang in tow. They started towards the forest and Ron was clearly upset "Follow the spider! Why spiders?!" he complained.

As soon as they were out of sight Marcus made his way into the forest after them, it was dark and misty giving him perfect cover from the boys who were just ahead. He kept a close watch on them, he knew the dangers that could lurk in the forest and he needed to stay alert to make sure they weren't hurt.

He truly loved being an animagus, especially as a wolf because now he had night vision and could see very clearly even in the forest. He trudged on making sure to make as little noise as possible, suddenly they made their way through a small opening that was covered in spiders.

Marcus hesitated, he was never a big fan of spiders to begin with, he didn't have a fear he just really couldn't stand the numerous black eyes. He saw a small ledge next to the opening and quickly jumped up and made his way through the thick branches.

He started to freak out when he saw the first spider that was the size of a dog, then he saw one that was the size of a small bear, and then he saw the one that was no question the leader. He didn't get to stay long because some of the spiders started to focus on him rather than Harry and Ron who seemed to be having a conversation with the massive one in the center.

He backed up and a large spider dropped right in front of clicking its pincers, Marcus decided maybe this wasn't the best idea to begin with and took off through the thick grove. A few spiders chased after him and he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He screamed which came out as a howl as he lost his footing and fell off the small branches he was running on, he landed on his back and seemingly killed the spider that landed on his back.

The pain in his back was between his shoulder blades, it felt like molten lead was making its way through his body. Marcus didn't think after that he ran as fast as he could ignoring the spiders chasing after him or the cuts he was receiving from hitting too low tree branches. The pain was starting to make him see spots as he saw the lights of the school, he broke through the trees and ran down the path towards the castle. At this point he wasn't running he was stumbling, he couldn't even stay in his animagus form by that point.

He felt himself change back and he didn't notice his clothes were ripped up and he wasn't focusing on his bite wound that was now streaming blood down his back. He couldn't focus much on anything by that point, he could see a light on in the castle and Mcgonagall was grading some papers.

He pulled his wands out and fell to his knees, his vision was tunneling now, he held his wands out to the ground and shouted _"Bombarda!"_ and fell on his stomach. He heard an explosion and then he heard a door open, everything was upside down, different shades of random color, and incredibly blurry. He felt his wands roll out of his hands as his vision grew dimmer and dimmer, the spider venom seeping into every part of him, his breathing was slowing down too.

His heart felt like it was going to burst when suddenly he felt a hand on his back and a soft voice "You will be okay."

Then everything went black.

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	47. Chapter 47

Marcus opened his eyes and everything was so bright that he was blinded for a second. He felt like he had been beaten with a metal bat repeatedly. He groaned loudly as he rolled onto his side and came head to head with a reptilian face. He pulled away before realizing it was only Nax sleeping on his pillow, he looked around and the sun was shining through the window. He groaned as he sat up, careful not to wake his dragon, he cracked his back and then winced in pain.

He looked around and saw nearly all the beds filled with petrified students. He looked over and saw Sam still in mid-scream as he laid on the bed frozen. Marcus felt a twinge of guilt, maybe if he had been faster he could have prevented it.

"Once again I see you here, honestly can't I go at least one year where you are not in my hospital?" the familiar voice of Madam Pomfrey came up nearby. She came around the corner holding a glass, she walked over to him and rolled her eyes. Marcus smiled and chuckled a little before he leaned over and opened the drawer next to his bed and pulled out the correct bottle of medicine used to heal poisons. He had been in the hospital so many times he knew where everything was.

As he helped pour the correct amount into the glass he considered maybe working in the hospital when he didn't have class. He took the glass and put it to his lips and downed it in one gulp. He grimaced at the horrible taste in his mouth before Pomfrey placed the medicine on his night stand. She sat next to him and helped him lift his shirt so she could examine him, then she pulled out her wand. She flicked it and Marcus could feel his wounds healing.

"You are very lucky to be alive Mr. Dine. Had you been ten seconds slower you would have surely died out there alone in the grass." she explained. Marcus stared at her in shock, always the optimist she was. She flicked her wand again and Marcus winced at a sudden jab of pain "Oh what's this?" she said and Marcus felt another stab of pain. She placed something on the table but Marcus knew he had to remain still as she worked her healing magic. The wound closed and Marcus sighed in relief "The bleeding finally stopped, with that I can finally finish this bit and send you on your way." she said as she stood up and put her wand away.

Marcus looked over and smiled gratefully until he saw what was on the nightstand table. Is that a...?

"Oh yes I believe this is now yours. This would explain why the poison acted so fast when you were attacked." she said as she grabbed a rag and picked up the dark brown, hairy, and bent object. It was dripping with some sort of liquid. She handed it to him and he stared in wonder at the object, an acromantula fang he thought as he carefully picked up the dripping fang. A thought then occurred to him and he quickly jumped out of bed, waking up Nax in the process.

The tiny dragon roared in annoyance before it took flight, Marcus quickly wrapped the fang up before he put on his clothes without his robe though. He had on black pants, white shirt, and then he had his yellow and black tie to show his house, which he didn't tie because he hates ties. He started towards the door with the fang in his hand, Nax flew down and landed on his shoulder. He walked out and quickly made his way to the dungeons, it wasn't busy so everyone must be at Hogsmeade, he had to remember to get a Butterbeer.

Before he made it to the stairs he ran into a chatting group of girls, first year Slytherins, they all went silent as they stared at him. He was confused before he lifted his hand up "Hi?" he said cautiously. The girls squealed in delight before they ran off, leaving Marcus confused. Why did girls start to treat him differently ever since the year started? He had never been handsome, all his life kids called him dorky and weirdo, sure he had built up some muscle at his time at Hogwarts and sure a lot of his acne had vanished and yes he had gotten taller and...huh.

He sat there contemplating this when someone bumped into him and sent him to the ground. He heard a bunch of people yell "Marcus!" and then he was tackled in a huge group hug by his friends. He grinned as he saw that his friends were okay, especially Dan, he knew he could defend himself Dan was incredibly good with charms but so was Sam and he was petrified. He gave his boyfriend a quick kiss before he got to his feet, "I'm so glad you are okay Mark! We were just coming over to feed Nax, he refused to leave your side." Anna explained as Marcus pet his dragon affectionately.

Marcus finally left a journal explaining how to care for Nax, it was the right thing to do since he was always in the hospital. He chuckled as he looked at all his friends "Good to see you guys, honestly I did not mean to get knocked out this time. I can assure you though I'm not going into the forest for a long time, those spiders are nasty!" he explained and his friends chuckled.

"Well you didn't miss much, Lockhart is as annoying as always and people are freaking out over the recent attacks in the school." Cedric said and Marcus nodded wrapping his hand around Dans waist. Cedric looked at his hand "What's that?" he asked and they all looked down at the wrapped fang.

"Acromantula fang, it broke off when I was attacked." he explained before the very person he was looking for walked by. He quickly said goodbye to his friends and gave Dan a quick kiss before he ran after Professor Snape. He finally turned a corner and caught up with him "Professor!" he shouted and he turned around in annoyance. He gulped a bit before he handed the cruel professor the wrapped fang "I know that acromantula venom is very rare so I figure the person who would have the most use for it would be the Potions Master." he explained.

Professor Snape actually looked shocked as he stared at the fang, he cleared his throat "Yes well, this will make some fairly strong potions. I suppose a thank you is in order. However how you came across this fang I'm sure expulsion is the right course of action." and there is the Professor Snape he knows and loves. As the professor was walking away Marcus left to go be with his friends when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Lucius Malfoy staring down at him.

"Well, if it isn't the...famous...Mr. Dine." he said in a tone of clear disgust. Marcus had never liked the Malfoy family, always going on about their wealth and pure blood status. His family used to be on good terms until about three generations back when his great grandfather married a muggle. Ever since then the two families had been practically at war with each other. Not that he cared, the Malfoy family had some twisted characters he never wanted to meet such as Bellatrix Lestrange and any of the family members from the house of Black.

Marcus glared at him "What do you want Lucius?!" he growled and the man scowled at him.

"How dare you talk to me like that little boy! Your family never did know when to respect their superiors!" he viciously.

Marcus wasn't scared of this man, he was nothing but a joke to him "Our superiors? You are superior to my family in only one aspect Lucius! You are better at being jackasses!" he said with a smirk, not his best come back but he was still proud of it. Mr. Malfoy looked furious before he quickly collected himself and glared daggers at the young man.

"I heard about what you did against the Knights. I suggest you watch your back child, you never know when someone might try to put a dagger in it." he threatened. It wasn't a blatant threat but it was one that scared Marcus slightly. He knew the types of connections Lucius had, his family had them too but they never used it to their advantage. He, on the other hand, would use them to ruin families just so he could get ahead.

"Well, if someone ever did...I'd fight them to the very end, because it's the right thing to do. Wouldn't you agree?" he said defiantly looking the man in the eye.

Lucius just smiled, which unnerved Marcus "Maybe someday, someone will put that to the test. I just hope you are as brave then as you are now." he said before he walked away. He turned the corner and was out of sight.

Leaving Marcus scared to the bone.

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	48. Chapter 48

"Marky? You even listening?!" Nile asked and Marcus lifted his head up. They were all in the library studying for final exams and Marcus had been staring at the same page for the last hour. He couldn't stop thinking about what Lucius had said, he had basically threatened his life without so much as a stutter.

"Yeah...yeah what were we on? Magical Law Enforcement?" he asked as he flipped the pages in his book.

Anna sighed "Mark that was forty five minutes ago, we are on Wand Lore." she explained and Marcus nodded. As they started studying Anna grunted in amusement "Hey guys look at this paragraph! It talks about dual wielding wands." she announced and everyone got up. They all crowded around her as she read the article aloud "Although uncommon some wizards have been known to use two wands instead of one. The act of using two wands means that the spells you cast will result in extremely powerful versions of those spells. Known dual wielders are Herpo the Foul, Rabastan Lestrange, and Marcus Dine. Mark? You're in this book? Well it's magical so I guess it fills out the list right when it happens." she said as they all looked at the three names on the list.

Marcus didn't know what to think, the only two other recorded dual wielders was a twisted ancient man and an imprisoned Death Eater. Did this mean that he would turn evil? If he kept up what he was doing? He was fighting against the Knights, he was trying to stop anyone from dying but...what if it lead to his own death? He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Cedric smiling at him "You okay Marcus? You look a little freaked out. Come on man lets get you some air. We'll be right back guys." he announced before steering Marcus out of the library and out into the cool spring air.

"So what has you so upset? Usually you are running the study group with an iron fist." he asked as they sat down on one of the benches. Marcus rubbed his hands together as he contemplated telling him, finally he looked at the fourth year and sighed.

"Look it's just...so much happening all at once. Dumbledore has asked me to do some stuff and I'm trying I really am but it's really difficult, then there was the whole deal with Lucius Malfoy, and now...Cedric what if I'm not as good a person as I thought I was? I mean even my ancestors were evil! Morgan Le Fay and I share the same blood and she was one of the most evil witches in history! What if if I hurt more people than I try to help? If anyone got hurt because of me I don't know..." he couldn't continue. He fought back tears by this point.

Cedric put his hand on his shoulder to comfort him "It's okay Marcus, listen just take everything one step at a time okay? I feel overwhelmed a lot too, my dad brags all the time about how proud he is of me and stuff. So I have to maintain so much to make sure he stays proud of me. I know that sounds cocky and sort of arrogant cause I literally just boasted about myself being great but the truth is Marcus...I'm scared. I don't know what you are dealing with but if you ever are feeling stressed just talk it out man. You know?" he said and Marcus nodded.

They sat there for a few seconds before Marcus lowered his head and tried to hide the tears as they started to fall. Cedric pulled him into a hug as the pain and worry washed over Marcus, he had seen the horrors of the Wizarding War in the Pensieve and Voldemort was trying to return, Dumbledore had assured him of this. Also how Dumbledore had tricked him into agreeing to be an animagus under the pretense that he would be expelled. Keeping that knowledge to oneself was taking its toll on Marcus, it was like being stabbed and you couldn't tell people why you were screaming, you just had to suck it up.

He thought of his grandfather, Cassius, how he tricked his entire family and deceived Marcus by giving him a Chimaera to spy on him. The tears streamed down his cheeks as Cedric held him "I...I hate it! I hate this! I hate it all! I just wanted a normal life! I just wanted to be a normal kid! I hate it!" he practically shrieked into Cedrics chest. The older boy simply sighed and let him cry, finally he stopped and he wiped his eyes "S-Sorry. That was building for a while." he explained sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck only to cut his neck with his ring again.

Cedric rolled his eyes in amusement before he took out his wand and flicked it across his neck. Marcus felt the wound close as he looked at his hands, at the very ring that just cut him. A dragon looped around his entire finger with ruby eyes courtesy of Newt Scamander. Did he deserve it though? He was a good person he knew that much but at what point do right and wrong become blurred? When does he become just as depraved as those he fights against?

"I'll be back later, I have to talk to Dumbledore." he said as he got up only for Cedric to grab his arm.

"Headmaster Dumbledore was relieved of his job a few days ago, the day you were attacked. Lucius Malfoy and Cornelius Fudge came and told him he had to leave right after they arrested Hagrid." he explained. Marcus was shocked to say the least! Hagrid was arrested?! Dumbledore is gone?! If that happened then things were about to go from bad to worse in no time at all.

His suspicions were confirmed when he saw Sprout and Snape rush by, the fact that Professor Sprout looked scared only rose his suspicions. He looked at Cedric "Tell the others I wasn't feeling well." he said and Cedric nodded before he turned into a wolf and ran after the professors. The moon was high in the sky and as he was following the professors an announcement came on telling all students to return to their dormitories. Yeah, like Marcus was going to follow the rules at a time like this.

He stayed in the shadows and rested behind a pillar before turning back and peering over to see all the professors talking.

"Who was taken into the Chamber?" someone asked.

"Ginny Weasley." Mcgonagall said sadly, right as Lockhart showed up. Marcus listened in how Lockhart was going to go into the Chamber and find Ginny and bring her back. He agreed and then hurried off to get ready, after that the teachers left and Marcus saw Ron and Harry across the hall looking terrified. They ran after Lockhart and an idea formed in Marcus' head, they were going into the chamber, they were going to need back up. Only one person can help them.

He had to talk to the Governors.

He had to get Dumbledore back!

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	49. Chapter 49

It only took a couple hours but finally Marcus had eleven of the Governors in the Great Hall, minus Lucius Malfoy. He glared at all of them and they seemed unfazed by the child in front of them.

"Now listen, whoever you are, we are very busy people and you must know someone high in the Ministry to be able to have us all attend this unorthodox meeting. You have called us here in the middle of the night and I would like you..." one of them started.

Marcus wasn't having it "And I would like you all to shut up!" he shouted and they all stared at him shocked. He scowled at them before continuing "I would like to know why Dumbledore was dismissed as Headmaster of this school and do not give me any of that bureaucratic nonsense you use to confuse people. I want the truth!" he ordered.

All of the Governors glared at him one stepped forward, she walked up the steps and stood in front of Marcus "Now just who do you think you are?! Who are you to question our authority?!" she yelled.

Marcus smirked "My name is Marcus Antonidas Dine! Judging from how most of you have paled and look terrified that means you know _exactly_ who I am and who my parents are." he said confidently. The Governor from before stepped away from him and shrank back into the group. Marcus cleared his throat "Now, explain to me why you felt it necessary to remove Dumbledore during this time of crisis?!" he demanded.

The Governors all looked at one another before one answered "We...We cannot give you the reason. Lucius, as Chairman, forbids us to discuss why." he said weakly. Marcus snorted in annoyance, so Lucius was involved after all? Of course he was he probably used his connections to get his way.

"What did Lucius do to get you to agree? Threaten you? Your families? Your reputations?" Marcus asked and no one said a word but their silence gave him the answer. He took a deep breath "Alright then, you are all left with two options. Do the right thing, overturn Lucius and bring back the rightful Headmaster of this school and I can promise you once my parents get involved not only will you not have to worry about Lucius but I will make sure he is removed from the board as well." Marcus explained.

They looked at each other again "And...the second option?" one asked shyly.

Marcus smirked "You stand your ground, remain stubborn in this illegal act that you know is wrong. I will contact my parents regardless I have already sent a letter to them, and they will bring the full force of the Ministry to launch a full scale inquiry on this matter and not only will Lucius Malfoy lose his job and he reputation but all of you will too. So answer me this, who are you more scared of? A corrupt man who has connections in the Ministry or the kid who would not hesitate to bring those that are corrupt to justice using every means at his disposal?" he explained.

He crossed his arms and watched as all of the Governors started whispering to one another before they all looked back at Marcus. The woman from before stepped forward "We will order Dumbledore to be reinstated immediately. Good night Mr. Dine." she said and with that they all shuffled out of the Great Hall. Marcus nodded in content before he made his way out of the hall, that was when he heard the cry. He recognized that cry, it was Fawkes!

He followed the sounds of the Phoenix until he turned a corner and came to the Headmasters door, he knew he couldn't get in without the summons of the Headmaster. He was about to give up when the statue started to move, he didn't think on it as he raced up the stairs and opened the door. Fawkes was flying around the room as if he was searching for something "Fawkes? You okay? What's wrong?" he asked as the bird continued to fly around.

Finally he hit a cabinet and began pecking at the glass. Marcus ran over and noticed a large amount of phials and potions but Fawkes continued to peck right in front of the Sorting Hat. Marcus looked around and tried to open the door but it was locked, finally he rolled his eyes and took out one wand and flicked the glass. The glass shattered and fell to the ground and Fawkes grabbed the hat and flew towards the window, Marcus waved his wand and the window flew open and Fawkes flew out the window and vanished from sight.

Marcus sighed he had no idea what that was but he suspected it had something to do either with Dumbledore or Harry. It was then that he heard a rush of wind behind him and he turned to find Albus Dumbledore standing on his balcony. Marcus grinned as Dumbledore made his way down and stood in front of him "I have you to thank for this Mr. Dine. I am truly grateful for you defending me although to threaten the Governors that was most unwise of you." he said grimly.

Marcus shook his head "You don't understand Lucius Malfoy threatened them! He forced them to remove you under threats, you can ask them yourself." he explained. Dumbledore stroked his beard lost in thought on this.

"The Sun is rising Mr. Dine, I suggest you make your way to your dormitory, breakfast will be served soon and you should get some sleep. You have had a long night." he said and Marcus yawned in agreement. As much as he felt overwhelmed by a lot of things Dumbledore had tasked him with he knew he could do it. Like Cedric had said, just take it all one step at a time.

He shook Dumbledores hand before he left the room and made his way down the stairs. He ran into Harry Potter and Ron Weasley at the bottom, Harry was holding a bloody sword and the Sorting Hat. Marcus just nodded in understanding before he walked passed them and down the hall. As he reached the end of the hall he saw Lucius Malfoy walking towards him, a clearly enslaved House Elf was next to him.

"Well, I had hoped that I would not see you again Mr. Dine. I was thinking our previous conversation would have set you straight." he growled and Marcus just smirked.

"Enjoy your threats while you can Lucius. Dumbledore is back and something tells me...that's the least of your worries." he said and Lucius actually looked slightly afraid before he collected himself and walked down the hall towards the statue.

As he reached the Grand Staircase and started down towards his common room he caught a glimpse of the rising Sun and smiled at the warmth that spread across his face.

"Marcus?!" a voice said behind him, he turned and saw Sam standing there grinning. The Mandrake Drought had worked! The two boys ran over and embraced each other, Marcus was so happy that his friend was okay, he knew the others would be excited to see that he was okay as well. They pulled away and Sam hooked his arm across Marcus' shoulder "So what have I missed?" he asked as they rounded a corner and headed to the kitchens.

Marcus didn't even know where to begin, he had so much to tell him and the school year ended in just a few days. He grinned, he was excited for his fourth year and he honestly couldn't wait. As they walked Marcus knew what to say.

"Sam? Do you know what an Animagus is?"

 **End of Year 3**

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	50. Chapter 50

**Start of Year 4**

"I'm just saying if I had to choose between the Bulgarians and the Irish I would have to go with the Bulgarians. Victor Krum is unstoppable!" Sam said and Cedric rolled his eyes. Marcus groaned in annoyance as his friends continued to argue just as they have been for the past three hours ever since they got on the train. Nax was curled in his hair snoozing contently with little puffs of smoke trailing from his nostrils.

Marcus leaned back and they heard a knock, the three Hufflepuffs looked over and saw Anna, Nile, and Dan all grinning as they squeezed into the car. Dan sat next to Marcus and kissed his cheek making the fourth year grin widely. Nile sat next to Sam and Anna sat next to Dan, Cedric and Dan had finally stopped arguing and turned their attention back to their friends. They all fell into comfortable and pleasant until Sam brought up the big news.

"So you guys hear about Sirius Black?" he asked and everyone stared at him. Of course they had anyone who has connection to the wizarding world knew exactly who Sirius Black was. Marcus gulped hard, he knew more about Sirius then he cared to mention. Dan seemed to sense his mood because he bumped his shoulder, Marcus gave him a smile to let him know he was okay but he wasn't. After what his parents told him he was honestly a little scared of going back to Hogwarts this year.

Suddenly the train lurched forward and then stopped completely, Marcus frowned they couldn't be at school yet he picked Nax out of his hair and handed him to Dan. He opened the door and looked out, lots of people were doing the same he saw. He stepped out of his booth and was about to start forward when the lights shut off, then the train slammed to the side. Marcus was thrown off his feet and he knocked his head into the glass door of his booth. His vision became blurry as he laid on the ground, he turned his head and saw his friends shouting something behind the glass he couldn't make it out.

Suddenly they all stopped talking and the temperature dropped rapidly. All of his friends backed away from the door, even Nax hid in Dans chest pocket Marcus was still dazed and he knew his head must have been bleeding. He looked in the direction his friends were looking and he forgot how to breathe entirely, he puffed out a large cloud of steam as a floating cloaked figure ventured toward him. As it got closer he suddenly was hit by an overwhelming feeling of fear, sadness, and cold so very very cold.

Dementors.

Marcus was shaking as the Dementor seemed to look down at him, he couldn't see anything under the cloak. Suddenly he saw a gnarly, scabbed, and decaying hand reach for him and he thought he was going to die of fright right then and there.

Then a bright light shined a few booths down and the Dementor pulled away as the light got closer. Marcus was in shock as a man stepped forward and the Dementor seemed to be propelled back like the light was some sort of shield. It flew down the car and out of sight as the light extinguished and the man helped Marcus to his feet "Are you alright? That cut doesn't look too bad. Here, can you take care of him while I check on everyone else?" he asked as Nile and Sam grabbed either side of him and helped him sit.

"My name is Remus Lupin by the way. Here have some of this." he handed Marcus a brown bar "It's alright it's chocolate." he said with a small smile. Marcus nodded in gratitude and took a bite while Lupin left them, Dan took out his wand and flicked it over his cut and it slowly healed. All of his friends looked at him with worry as he rubbed his now healed forehead.

"Well, that was slightly embarrassing." Marcus said blushing a little, Nax crawled over and clawed his way up his sweater before resting on his masters shoulder. Marcus had been looking after Nax for four years now and he knew that laying on his shoulder meant that Nax was ready to protect him if those Dementors came back. Marcus shuddered at the thought of what just happened "What was that all about?!" he asked as he took another bite of chocolate and felt a little better.

Anna and Cedric exchanged nervous glances "My guess is they were looking for Sirius Black but I mean to come on the train itself? To attack a student? Something will have to be done about that when we get to school." Cedric said. Marcus nodded as he felt better, he knew the Dementors were not merciful creatures and were nothing but decay and death but to actually see one up close made Marcus fear for his life more than anything he had ever encountered.

Finally the train started moving again and Marcus was grateful when the lights came back on. He still felt the chill of the Dementors stare in his bones as if he was made of ice. Dan wrapped his arm around him in an effort to warm him up and Marcus was grateful for his friends being there for him.

After a long while of sitting there in silence Nax felt that Marcus wasn't warm enough and decided to launch a stream of fire at the ground. Everyone started freaking out as the booth smoldered, eventually Marcus stomped the flames out and they all glared at the dragon.

Nax looked innocent as he flew above them to keep away from them. Marcus just sighed heavily before leaning back, hoping to sleep a little before they got to school. Only to open his eyes and see Nax staring right at him. Then for absolutely no reason, he leaned forward and bit Marcus on the nose!

"NAX!" all of his friends shouted.

Yep this year was going to be no different.

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	51. Chapter 51

Marcus hopped in the carriage with all of his friends and looked at the large gate that led to the school grounds. He cracked his neck which was still a bit stiff from the train incident but other than that he felt perfectly fine. A new weight hit the carriage and Remus Lupin climbed on and sat across from Marcus. He gave them all a warm smile as he leaned back and closed his eyes.

"Thank you." Marcus said to the man who cracked an eye open, he gave him a simple nod before going back to sleep. Something about the man unnerved Marcus, those scars on his face seemed distinct as if they all came from one thing. The aura he gave off while warm and inviting had something dark underneath, like an Obscurus inside an innocent child.

When they reached the grounds Remus quickly ducked inside before anyone could say anything. After that everyone got in their robes and made their way to the Great Hall. Marcus gave Dan a quick kiss before joining his friends at his table. He sat down in between Sam and Anna with Cedric right across from him, they all looked at the teachers as Dumbledore started speaking.

"I'd like to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin." he announced and the very man who saved Marcus stood up and waved. He clapped excitedly for the new teacher before Dumbledore continued "Until Sirius Black is captured the Dementors will be patrolling the grounds. I urge you to give them no reason to harm you, it is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving." he said and Marcus shuddered again.

After that the feast began and everyone dug in like they usually did. Marcus and Cedric decided to have a chugging contest, Anna dove into some ham, and Sam took the entire turkey off the platter and plopped it on his plate before digging in. Marcus was sure he was winning until he felt something hit the back of his head, he looked behind him and caught sight of Draco Malfoy and his cronies all glaring at him. He smirked no doubt Draco figured out Marcus was responsible for his father being removed from the Board of Governors.

Marcus finished early and decided to head back to his common room and get some sleep early. As he was walking he overheard a bit of conversation, he recognized one of the voices as Snape. He quickly hid behind the corner and listened in on the hushed whispers.

"Don't try to hide it Remus. I know what you are, how can I forget the thing that nearly killed me. You should have been locked up along with Black." Snape said.

"Now Severus we are both adults, that was a long time ago. I hope you will be discrete?" Remus asked sounding incredibly nervous. What did he have to be nervous about? How did he and Snape know each other? They also knew Sirius Black?

"The _only_ reason I will remain quiet is because Dumbledore has asked me to say nothing. If it were up to me you would have been put down like the dog you are." Snape shot back before Marcus heard footsteps heading in his direction. He quickly ran down the hall and then started back as if he was just arriving and almost ran into Snape. He just glared at him before continuing down the hall and back into the Great Hall.

Marcus turned the corner and found Lupin taking a few deep breaths as he leaned against the wall. Marcus felt bad for the man "You alright Professor?" he asked and the man jumped in surprise. Marcus held his hands up "Sorry didn't mean to scare you sir. You just seemed a little worried." he defended.

Lupin calmed down and stood up straight "Yes I'm fine, just a little bit sick from the ride up. If you'll excuse me I'm going to go rest." he said before walking down the hall and out of sight. He just shrugged and then made his way down to the dormitories. A bunch of the upper years were already down there talking, including Sam and Cedric who had left the Great Hall while Marcus was talking to Lupin. He quickly changed into his pajamas and joined his friends.

"Hey we are playing Truth or Dare! You want in?" Cedric said and Marcus nodded as he sat down on the windowsill. They all started sitting around him and then Cedric looked around "Marcus, Truth or Dare?" he asked.

"Truth I'm no idiot!" he said with a laugh, he wasn't falling for any tricks. Then Cedric asked the question.

"Are you in love with Dan?" he asked curiously.

Marcus dropped his grin as the words rang in his head. Did he love Dan? He was one of the best things in his life and they did nearly everything together, but did he love him?

"I...Honestly don't know." he answered and Cedric seemed satisfied. He looked around "Sam? Truth or..."

"DARE!" he shouted before Marcus could finish. He just rolled his eyes at his friends impatient attitude.

"I dare you to go into the girls dormitory and stay in there, staring at the hottest girl in there. No matter how much they yell at you to leave you cannot leave." Marcus said with a wolfish grin. Sam paled but got up out of the bed and walked out.

It didn't take more than five minutes before all the boys heard shouting coming from down the hall. They all busted up laughing as Anna walked in holding Sam by the ear "Someone care to explain?!" she asked annoyed. Marcus tried to explain but it just came out as gasps of laughter "He just walked in and stared at me! He just wouldn't stop staring at me! Why?!" Anna shouted.

Marcus finally stopped laughing as he looked at Sam, he was beet red and wouldn't look anyone in the eye. Marcus finally put the pieces together, why Sam always bothered them, why Sam always interrupted him and Anna when they were together, he could see it in his eyes as he looked at Anna.

Sam was in love with her.

Anna rolled her eyes and grumbled something about boys being idiots and then left. Marcus saw Sam sitting on his bed still not looking at anyone "Hey guys, lets end the game there. How about a Kitchen raid?" he said and all of the guys shouted in agreement and rushed out of the room. Leaving Marcus and Cedric to do damage control, they walked over and sat next to Sam "You okay Sam?" he asked softly,

Sam sniffled and then shook his head "She doesn't like me. I know she doesn't." he said sadly. Marcus looked at Cedric and an understanding passed between them.

"You're gonna get her Sam." Cedric said with a smile.

Sam looked up at the two guys and saw the sincerity in their eyes. He finally gave his signature cheeky grin, Marcus put a hand on his shoulder.

"And we're gonna help you!"

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	52. Chapter 52

"Did you see it?!"

"I heard it's a werewolf!"

"That's what all the howling is!"

Marcus ignored all of his fellow Hufflepuffs whispering to each other. Apparently rumors were spreading that a monster of some sorts was stalking the grounds at night. Marcus didn't believe any of it, at the moment he had other things to worry about.

Namely Samuel Millegan.

"Okay so listen up buddy. Anna loves flowers, tulips are her favorite." Marcus said and Sam nodded. He was writing down all of the little facts in a notebook as Cedric looked around to make sure no one listened in on them.

Cedric bumped Marcus on the shoulder "What about Hogsmeade? They could go for a Butterbeer together and get to know each other. You know friends first and then work his way up to a relationship?" Cedric suggest. Marcus nodded and Sam wrote in his notebook everything they told him, Marcus knew a lot about what Anna liked mostly because he dated her for over a year.

Just then Anna walked into the Common Room and the boys all scrambled to make sure she didn't hear them. She looked at them oddly "What's gotten into you guys?" she asked curiously and they all just shrugged innocently.

"Hey guys how about a trip to Hogsmeade?" Marcus suggested. Sam and Cedric readily agreed and Anna smiled and nodded, they all grabbed their coats and made their way outside. Along the way they stopped by the Great Hall and had Dan join them. After that they all walked outside together the brisk sharp rain stung his cheeks as they all climbed into the carriages that brought them into town. As they were riding Dan moved closer to Marcus to warm up and he smiled at that.

He saw Anna shiver and Sam gulped hard before he scooted closer and offered her his scarf. She smiled and took it, Sam looked happier as the sleigh stopped on some icy stones and Marcus hopped out. He made sure no one fell before they made their way into the Three Broomsticks. They all sat down, before Dan reached the table Marcus pulled him aside "What?" he asked curiously.

Marcus looked over and saw Sam sitting next to Anna, he looked back at his boyfriend "So Sam is head over heels in love with Anna. Cedric and I are trying to set them up, so we are going to make up a reason to leave them alone okay?" he said. Dan grinned in amusement and nodded before they kissed and made their way back to their friends.

He nodded to Cedric who suddenly groaned in annoyance "Crap Marcus! We have those Quidditch drills to give the new guys!" he said and Marcus feigned annoyance. The two got up "Dan don't you have to train the new Chasers?" he asked and Dan nodded quickly before he got up too.

"Have fun guys!" Marcus said cheerily as the three left in a hurry.

"Wait...Isn't Sam on the Quidditch team too? He's the Keeper." Anna said before they walked out the door. They all froze and cursed themselves for not thinking of a cleverer lie, before turning back to the two who were still seated next to each other.

Dan stepped forward "Yes...he is but...because there is only one Keeper he doesn't have to train anyone. Marcus has to train Anthony because he's the other Beater, I have to train the Chasers, and Cedric is captain so he has to be at all training sessions." he explained quickly.

Marcus gave a sly grin and suddenly liked his boyfriend even more than he did before. Anna thought for a second before shrugging and waving them goodbye. They all ran out and busted out laughing, Marcus pulled his boyfriend close "Cute _and_ quick on his feet! Damn you are one of a kind!" he said grinning.

Cedric laughed harder until slowly it died down and he thought of something, "Oh wait...I think their actually _is_ a Quidditch training session...Yeah I need to go! Come on guys!" he said before he climbed into the carriage.

Dan gave Marcus a kiss on the cheek "You coming?" he asked as he climbed in next to Cedric.

He looked at his boyfriend and then at all the stores "I'll catch up with you later. Got some shopping to do anyway." he said with a smile and started towards one of the shops. He watched the carriage slowly vanish from sight before he threw his hood on and rain through the rain into one of the shops.

 **A few hours later.**

Marcus walked out, he had bought a few things for his friends and family for the upcoming holidays and was happy for it. As he walked out of Zonkos he caught a glimpse of Sam and Anna walking out of the Three Broomsticks. He grinned and quickly ducked behind a wall to hear what they were saying.

"I really had fun Sammy, it's nice getting to know you! We should definitely do this again sometime!" she said cheerily. Sam looked ecstatic as he nodded and they climbed into a carriage and started down the road. Marcus was smiling widely at the blossoming relationship when he realized something.

That was the last carriage and the Sun was setting.

The rain had let up so it was just a little cloudy now. Marcus just shrugged, no better time for a walk than a nice cool night. He had sent his gifts ahead, the shop owners transport the merchandise to the school for a small fee which Marcus was glad he paid now. He started walking, his hands in his hoodie pockets and his hood up to keep his ears warm.

He took a deep breath and looked around, he was totally alone not a single person in either direction. Marcus quickly turned into a wolf and cut through the forest, he loved the feeling of the wind rushing through his fur as he ran at a much faster speed.

He broke through the tree line and saw the castle in the distance, he changed back into his human form. He started walking up the path when he heard the voice.

"No more Wolfsbane, oh I gotta hurry!" a frantic and nervous voice came from up the hill. As Marcus walked closer he saw Remus Lupin appear and he froze in fear at the young man in front of him.

"Professor Lupin? Are you okay?" Marcus asked confused at the usually collected professors terrified stance. The professor didn't answer he simply started forward and towards the Whomping Willow. Marcus ran forward and grabbed the mans arm "Sir be careful!" he said and Remus was breathing heavily as he moved faster.

Marcus ran in front of him "Professor what's going on?! Is everything alright?!" he asked now more nervous than before. Suddenly Lupin gasped in fright and Marcus turned to see the pale full moon break through the clouds. He heard groaning and the sound of fabric tearing, he turned back and saw Lupin growing in size, his facial features changing, his clothes ripping off as he transformed.

He was a werewolf!

Marcus gasped in short breaths as he backed away from the lycanthrope. The monster had finally stopped changing and it was one of the most terrifying images Marcus had ever seen and would forever be burned into his mind. As he backed up his foot hit a twig and it snapped under his weight.

The beast looked up and snarled at him, then he started forward with his claw raised.

That's when Marcus ran for his life.

He jumped away as the werewolf swiped its claw, then he turned into his animagus and bolted towards the castle. The werewolf howled and blocked his path, Marcus whimpered before making a split second decision and turning around. He ran into the forest and judging from the howls and snarling Lupin was right on his tail.

He ran as fast as he could, he ducked under broken branches and quick turned through trees hoping to lose the werewolf. He stopped behind a bundle of fallen trees and looked back to see if he was still being chased.

Lupin was nowhere to be found.

Marcus was panting heavily, his lungs and paws hurt but he was safe. He turned and was greeted with razor sharp claws, they cut into his chest and he screamed in pain. The scream came out as a howl but it was excruciating nonetheless.

Marcus swiped his claw and hit Lupin across the face, leaving a few bleeding cuts. The werewolf yelped a bit and backed away and Marcus started running back to the castle again. No doubt Lupin could track him easily because he was leaving a trail of blood as he ran through the dark and misty forest.

He caught sight of the clearing just ahead and he pushed himself to run faster. His lungs were screaming by now, he had just cleared the forest when Lupin appeared from his side and grabbed him. He raked his claws across both his front left leg and his back right leg. he could feel his skin tear as he struggled to free himself, he brought his paws back and kicked him in the face giving him the opportunity to escape.

He had made it to the stone path, he could see the castle but his vision was dimming, he had lost a lot of blood. He couldn't maintain his animagus anymore and turned back. Blood was dripping from his mouth and horribly deep slashes riddled his right leg and left arm, his chest was also ripped open as well.

Marcus struggled to breath as he limped away, he heard the growl again. He turned and drew his wands just as Lupin tackled him to the ground with a feral snarl. He bared his fangs and Marcus brought his hands up and pushed against Lupins snout and chin to keep him from biting into him. He continued to push down, his claws digging into his shoulders making him scream in pain again.

His muscles felt like weights, slowly Lupins frothing mouth was getting closer. He looked to his side and saw one of his wands, he quickly made the choice and punched the werewolf in the face. For the split second it took Lupin to recover Marcus grabbed the wand and brought it up. Lupin opened his mouth and tried to bite him again, only for Marcus to thrust his wand into his mouth.

Lupin bit down and snapped the wand in two causing it to spark slightly, hurting the werewolf. He was disoriented long enough for Marcus to reach for his other wand and point it at Lupins chest, he saw the Whomping Willow just behind them. Lupin howled and then spit the pieces out and tried to bite Marcus once more.

 _"ALARTE ASCENDARE!"_ he shouted weakly and the werewolf was propelled off of Marcus. As he flew upward the sentient, and incredibly violent, tree hit Lupin like a bat hitting a baseball. Lupin shot to the ground and hit it with such force that he was rendered unconscious in a matter of seconds. He had no more strength left in him, he dropped his remaining wand and spit out some more blood. The slashes across his body burned like lava, he was taking rapid short breaths as his vision darkened more.

He knew if Lupin woke up before the Sun rose, then Marcus would be dead. It seemed likely that he was going to die regardless, he looked to his side and saw his blood dripping down the stone path. His shattered wand lay in pieces a few feet away, he had no more fight left in him. He stared at the full moon and wondered how something so beautiful, so poetic, so extraordinary could be the result of his death. His thoughts became murky as the pain intensified again.

The darkness overcame him.

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	53. Chapter 53

"Hey I think he's waking up!" Sams loud voice rang in his ears. His vision became lighter and blurry objects appeared, they slowly came into focus. He saw all of his friends crowded around him "Mark?! If you can hear us say something!" Sam shouted loudly.

"I bet I still look better than you." he said softly and everyone smiled. He still had his sarcasm, he was okay by their standards. Marcus winced in pain and looked down, he wasn't wearing a shirt and he could see a number of deep nasty rips into his chest and stomach. He tried to move his arms and cried out in pain when he moved his left arm, he removed the blanket and saw even more slashes riddling his arm.

Madame Pomfrey walked in caring a number of potions and ingredients "Out of my way! Mr. Dine needs time to heal!" she said as she set everything down. She stated examining his wounds "Luckily no bite wounds seem to be evident. Consider this a miracle Mr. Dine." she said as she waved her wand. She handed him a potion, which he took with his good arm "One quick swig." she said and he quickly downed the liquid. He gagged at the disgusting taste and Pomfrey rolled her eyes "Why do you kids always think it will taste good!?" she asked as she continued to heal him.

After nearly an hour it was clear that nothing was working, the bleeding had stopped but they wouldn't vanish. Soon Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, Snape, Sprout, Flitwick, and Lupin all walked in. As soon as Marcus saw Lupin his heart rate spiked, he kept his breathing under control as the professors ushered his friends out. Dumbledore looked at the scars and for a quick second glanced at Lupin "Professors I want you to make sure all fo your respected houses have all their students accounted for." he said and the four house heads left with Snape glaring at Lupin before leaving the room.

Pomfrey had left to care for some other students, now it was just Marcus, Dumbledore, and the man that had nearly killed him. Dumbledore sighed heavily "It is alright Marcus, I know of his condition. With that in mind I think we should all discuss this." he said and Marcus gulped before he nodded.

"Mr. Dine I cannot express how sorry I am for putting you through that. The pain and shock you must have endured...truly I could not control myself. That is no excuse for my actions, I am truly very sorry for this Marcus. I'm just glad your quick thinking and strength kept me from infecting you. Although I am sorry to say that your appetite may change a bit, and that these scars I gave you...they cannot be healed. Marcus once more I am so very sorry for this, you are a bright and caring student and I never meant to harm you." Remus rambled as he sat on the students bed.

Marcus had heard enough "Professor Lupin, it's alright. That wasn't you that attacked me, that was something that you couldn't control. Also, I'm not infected so no real harm done. You know besides the large amount of scars that can't be healed and my sudden craving for meat. I would love a bit of steak right now actually." Marcus said suddenly finding himself famished.

Lupin clicked his tongue and nodded to Dumbledore "I know that this is so much to ask of you Marcus but we were hoping...that you could keep Lupins condition a secret for the time being. I know you have no reason to do this especially after what has happened to you." he said softly.

Marcus looked at the new professor, he wasn't a bad man or even a mean one. He was just a poor fellow who was sick, Marcus looked at the Headmaster "Okay, I won't say anything, but something tells me someone is going to figure out sooner or later what happened to me." he explained as he leaned back and tried to get the pain under control whenever he breathed.

Dumbledore sighed and looked at Lupin again before returning his gaze to the student "I'm afraid that has already happened. News of your attack has spread through the school already, some students have even informed their parents. They are scared that their classmate might try to hurt them at night, we have doused those fires however and made note that you were not bitten and are not infected. With that I urge you to exercise caution for the time being." Dumbledore explained and Marcus nodded.

"And one final thing, we found your wands beside you when we rushed you here. I'm sorry but wands cannot be repaired once broken." Dumbledore said as he handed him a wrapped up object. Marcus used his good arm to remove the fabric to show his destroyed and splintered wand next to his other one. The second wand was perfectly fine aside from a few splatters of blood on the wood.

He wasn't a dual wielder anymore, he had to train with one wand now and he already had a ruined arm and leg. Dueling was going to be incredibly difficult now with his injuries. He carefully, and painfully, got out of his bed and saw that his injured leg was in a cast. His scarred arm was quickly put into a cast and and he threw on a shirt before grabbing a pair of crutches and making his way out of the Hospital.

Lupin and Dumbledore gave Marcus one more reassuring smile before they both left him and he started down the hall. As he slowly made his way into the Great Hall all commotion stopped, it was around lunch time so a large amount of students were eating. As soon as he entered through the threshold of the door everyone turned to look at him, he saw Malfoy and his gang smiling and many students looked scared as he made his way to the Hufflepuff table.

He sat down with a wince and he saw all of the Hufflepuffs around him smiling or patting him on the back. He smiled back as he grabbed a large chunk of steak and began to eat.

"Oh look guys! The mutts having a snack!" someone yelled behind him.

"Look out I bet his bark is worse than his bite!" another laughed out.

A second year Hufflepuff was next to him and he pat his shoulder "Don't listen to them. They have nothing better to do but find someone to make fun of. They are all just a bunch of jerks, most of us know you're a good guy no matter what." he said in a squeaky voice. Marcus nodded but those insults people were throwing at him hurt more than his scars.

He finished his meal without a word and grabbed his crutches and started for the door. Before he got there he felt something slam into him and he lost his footing, he hit the ground hard on his bad arm and cried out in pain. Marcus looked up to see Goyle standing there, Malfoy walked up and crouched next to him. He glared at him "Watch yourself this year Dine, you ruined my fathers name and I'll make sure you pay for it." he growled.

"Hey back off!" someone said.

"He isn't hurting anyone!" another said.

"Shove off Malfoy!" a girl spoke.

Marcus looked over and saw all of the second and third years standing behind him looking like they were ready to fight. All of the Hufflepuffs were glaring at the Slytherin until finally he just grunted in annoyance. Malfoy walked away and his cronies followed him, a few of the Hufflepuffs ran over and helped Marcus up "Thanks guys, I owe you big time." he said with a chuckle.

A few of them looked at each other "Maybe, you could let us in the Dueling Club?" one asked.

Marcus grinned and nodded "Sure thing." he answered and the students cheered before going back to what they were doing before. Marcus was astounded at how accepting his house really was, he balanced himself on his crutches again.

Then he walked out the door with a smile.

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	54. Chapter 54

"Ready and...duel!" Marcus shouted and the two students started dueling each other. Marcus looked over and saw his friends hanging back, they hadn't treated him any differently since the attack and he was grateful for it. He watched the two students block and fire back at one another, Flitwick was the attending professor watching from the end of the dueling mat.

Finally one of the students got a lucky shot and disarmed the other. Marcus ended the round, they had decided to make a small tournament instead of a massive all out battle. He motioned over to Dan who moved the name into who was going to be in the second round.

"Alright next we have..." Marcus started looking at the clipboard.

"How about you! The famous Double Duel Dine? I want to know if you are still passable now that you're a mutt!" a voice shouted. Marcus looked up and saw who had spoken out, it was that Gryffindor who had harassed Dan his first year at school. He knew his name now, Andrew, and it didn't make him despise the kid any less.

Marcus glared at him and rolled his eyes as he went back to his clipboard. He heard footsteps and Andrew was in front of him in a second, Marcus was unfazed as he looked at him. He took a deep breath "Something I can help you with?" he asked coldly and Andrew grinned.

"You and me, right now. You got some cheap shots in last time." he said with a scowl. Marcus looked at him like he was insane and then gestured to his cast, crutches, and all of the bandages covering his neck.

"You do realize that I can't duel in this condition right? Much less as well as I used to because I lost one of my wands. What you are proposing is simply you wanting revenge on someone who can very easily kick your butt but you waited until they were weak enough that you might, catch that keyword _might,_ get a chance at winning a duel against them." Marcus said and everyone around them snickered.

Andrew glared "Take out your wand." he said through gritted teeth. He knew it was a bad idea but Marcus resigned and took out his wand and left his crutches. He slowly walked up the stairs with his bandaged and throbbing leg until he was standing opposite of Andrew.

They both raised their wands at each other and Dan looked worried as he looked at his boyfriend with worry. He bit his lip "Ready? Duel!" he shouted and Marcus shot off a charm immediately. Andrew blocked it and fired back, Marcus blocked but the small force that came with blocking made him wince. He quickly regained his stance and blocked another attack, he winced again and fired back.

Andrew grinned as he shot spell after spell towards Marcus who could only block and try not to pass out from the pain it induced. Finally Andrew shot and disarmed him, but he didn't stop there. He fired a quick Knockback Jinx and the force that hit his gut made him double over in pain. Andrew continued to fire the same jinx over and over again, Marcus clenched his jaw in pain as he stumbled backwards more and more.

He could see a bunch of students started shouting at Andrew to stop but he didn't relent. Dan and Nile got on the mat and started towards him when he shouted the spell again and Marcus lost his footing. He fell down the stairs crushing his leg and his arm on the way down and hit his head against the ground.

Marcus was close to tears as he laid on the ground in pain and saw Andrews wand fly out of his hand. Nile and Dan rushed over and helped Marcus up while Flitwick stepped towards the Gryffindor with his wand. Flitwick looked at Marcus and then at Andrew "I know for a fact that Mr. Dine is an exceptional dueler and you cannot prove the contrary. Seeing as how you wish for a challenge, then wand up!" the teacher said handing him his wand back.

Marcus watched in amazement at the speed and dexterity the professor showed as he fired off a number of advanced spells. Andrew was disarmed and on the ground in nearly a second. Marcus chuckled as he watched everyone laugh at the Gryffindor who had been beaten once again.

Dan gave Marcus a kiss "You should rest okay? Cedric, Nile, Anna, and I can handle things here okay?" he said and Marcus wanted to argue but bit his tongue. He nodded and grabbed his crutches and walked out of the room. He hated the fact that he no longer had a second wand, it was like a piece of him had died that night.

He knew there was only one person who would help him through this torment.

He made his way into the DADA room and saw that class was just ending. He noticed Harry Potter was in the class and he looked a little shaken up as if he had just seen something terrifying. Marcus pushed through the crowd of leaving students and that was when Lupin noticed him. He took a deep breath "Yes Marcus anything I can help you with?" he asked darting his eyes around.

"Can we talk?" he asked quietly and the professor nodded, they made their way into his office. He stepped in and the first thing he noticed was the Grindylow swimming in the tank in the corner. The small sea creature made him shudder as he sat down.

"So what is it you wanted to talk about?" Lupin asked, Marcus could see the scars that he had inflicted on Lupin the night of the attack.

Marcus clicked his tongue in thought "Is there...any way to cure these scars? Any way to just...make it all go away?" he asked shyly. Lupin sighed as if he was ready for that question to be asked.

"I'm afraid not Marcus. While the pain of your scars will fade like any other injury the scars themselves are cursed, much like those that have the affliction themselves. I'm so sorry Marcus, I never wanted to put anyone especially someone as gifted as you in danger." He said sadly.

Marcus sighed heavily "It's alright really, I was really just wondering whether or not the pain would stop. If I'll be able to move my arm and leg freely again." he said to calm the man down.

Lupin nodded "Yes actually, the pain should end soon and you'll be able to move normally again but you will still be permanently scarred." he explained. Marcus nodded and his scars throbbed as he thought about that.

"Well that was all really. Thank you Professor Lupin, I'll see you in class next week." Marcus said as he stood up. Lupin gave him a curt nod before he began grading papers, Marcus grabbed his crutches and made his way out of the classroom. As he reached the bottom of the stairs Sprout and Mcgonagall walked in followed by the two most unlikely people Marcus ever thought he would see at school.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?" he asked in confusion. His mother rushed over as the professors seemed to be in a heated argument with his father. His mother was fussing over his injuries and didn't seem to hear him.

"Really this is highly unnecessary! I assure you he is safe!" Sprout urged to his father and Marcus was starting to get worried as his father shook his head in disagreement.

"Our mind is made up and we have the legal right!" Seamus said stubbornly. The legal right to what? What were they talking about?

His mother was still examining his injuries and finally he had enough "Guys!" he yelled and the adults all looked at him. He looked each one of them in the eye "What is going on?!" he asked.

His father walked over and put his hand on his shoulder.

"We're taking you out of Hogwarts."

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	55. Chapter 55

"No you can't make me!" Marcus shouted at his parents, he had taken this to the Headmasters office. Dumbledore, Mcgonagall, Sprout, Lupin, and Snape were all watching in amazement at the near warlike tone the student used.

"If I may be allowed to speak?" Lupin asked stepping forward Seamus and Amelia glared at him.

"The moment we want your opinion will be when we ask for it! Now back off!" Amelia said rudely. Marcus was shocked, he had never seen his parents this aggressive to anyone. They seemed like they wanted to murder Lupin who closed his mouth and stepped back to where he was standing before.

Marcus didn't think much on it because his parents turned back to him "I'm not leaving!" he shouted.

Seamus and Amelia both sighed "Son, it's for the best." he said pleadingly but Marcus stood his ground.

"No way! This is definitely not for the best! I'm fine!" he shouted at them.

Amelia looked ready to cry "Mark your arm and leg are in casts and you are covered in permanent scars! This environment is much too dangerous for you!" she argued.

Marcus scoffed "Where was this worry when I faced down a pack of dragons?! When I was hit with the Cruciatus Curse!? When Quirrell had tried to kill Anna and me?! Why are you just now planning on taking me out of school when I have faced much worse when I was much younger?!" he demanded.

His parents said nothing and he stole a quick glance to Lupin and he knew why. He put the pieces together, his parents had a prejudice against werewolves just like everyone else. He looked at his hurt arm "It's because it's a werewolf attack isn't it? What? You're ashamed that your son might have a few wolf like tendencies?! Wonder what the Ministry might think if they find out their top Aurors have an infected son?! What are you so worried about?! Why do you care?! Why?! Tell me!"

"I DON'T WANT MY SON TO BE SEEN AS A MONSTER!" Seamus roared in anger, the room fell silent and the words seemed to echo all around Marcus as his father glared at him. Marcus had never felt more hurt than in that moment, the pain from his scars were nothing compared to what he felt now.

Marcus clicked his tongue "Okay, so now I know. This isn't about my safety. This is just about you guys." he said softly. Seamus seemed to realize what he had said, shock and horror were evident in his face as he thought about what he had just said.

"Mark...I-I...That's not what I meant. That came out wrong." his father tried to explain himself but Marcus just started running. Forgetting his crutches or the massive amount of pain he was in he ran out the door and down the stairs. He was breathing heavily as he reached the end of the hall and stood in front of the balcony, the pain was numb by this point.

He shook his head and tried to keep the tears from breaking free but he couldn't help it. They streamed down his cheeks as he fell to his knees and cried silently. He punched the stone railing with his good hand and then cradled it as his knuckles turned bright red. He was so full of anger, he didn't know what to do anymore, his parents were ashamed of him and he wasn't even a werewolf!

"Marcus?" a voice said behind him, he turned to find Mcgonagall standing there looking sympathetic. He didn't say anything he just cried some more, eventually he just started to slam his head into the stone wall. The professor quickly grabbed him before he was able to seriously hurt himself and stayed there with him as he sobbed "It will okay Marcus." she said soothingly.

"Th-They...They hate me! I'm nothing but a disappointment to them now!" he said through his sobs. Mcgonagall said nothing as she cradled him in her arms he sobbed into her robes for nearly ten minutes before he heard the footsteps.

He opened his red eyes and saw his parents walking towards him, both of them looking more guilty than he had ever seen them. The professors and Dumbledore were all behind them as they approached their son.

"Mark...What I said was not what I meant. I love you too much to ever be ashamed of you. You've accomplished so much at such a young age. Whether or not you are injured like that I'm proud to be your father, my dream is for the world to not know me as Seamus Dine, but as Marcus Dines father and I know you'll make that into a reality. I love you Marcus, can you forgive me?" his father said crouching down to be level with his son.

Marcus sniffled and wiped away his tears "Can...Can I stay?" he asked softly. Seamus sighed and then looked at his wife for an answer.

Amelia crouched down too "What if we make you a deal? We know how good you are at dueling and a coworker of ours is quite the dueler himself. We'll let you finish the semester and at the end if you can beat him then you can stay. It will show that you are capable of handling yourself, agreed?" she asked.

Marcus nodded and his parents helped him up, he remained silent though and wouldn't look his father in the eye. He glanced over at Lupin who opened his mouth to say something but in the end closed it and looked down in guilt.

They started talking to Dumbledore about when the Auror can come on school grounds but he wasn't listening. He could stay at school and his parents said how much they loved him but that moment. That one moment will forever be in his mind.

His father calling him a monster.

He pushed it out of his mind, he was going to prove himself. He was going to show them and even Lupin that people with handicaps can do great things.

He was going to duel an Auror.

And he was gonna win!

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	56. Chapter 56

"Good now wave your wand and fire." Flitwick instructed, Marcus nodded and waved his wand, he cast the Depulso spell perfectly but the recoil hurt him. He winced and grabbed his chest, the pain had finally stopped so he no longer needed his casts. He still had a few bouts of pain here and there and he couldn't wear short sleeved shirts very often without people staring but other than that he felt fine.

He took a deep breath and got his heart rate under control as the pain died down. He had been practicing every waking second to be a better dueler and he was getting better but at an agonizingly slow pace. Flitwick applauded his spell and then turned "Now lets work on your blocking, I've dueled a few Aurors and they are nothing short of masters. Are you ready Marcus?" he asked.

He nodded and Flitwick fired a simple charm, he blocked it. The professor smiled and then fired a few more, Marcus blocked all of them. He started speeding up how fast he was shooting and Marcus was doing his best to keep up but Flitwick was a legendary fighter. Eventually he flicked his wand and Marcus was disarmed, he clicked his tongue and reached for his wand, he saw the deep gashes in his arm as he reached for it.

Suddenly he saw images of that night, the way those claws felt ripping into his skin, the smell of all the blood in the air. Marcus started hyperventilating "Marcus? Are you alright? Marcus?" Flitwick asked. He gripped his chest as everything became unfocused he suddenly realized he was struggling to stand, he leaned against the wall for support.

"I'm...I'm f-fine. Just a little woozy." he assured as he wiped away some of the sweat on his forehead. He gulped hard "I should probably get to class. Thank you again for the lessons sir I greatly appreciate it." he said. The professor smiled and nodded before leaving the room.

Marcus quickly threw on his robe and made his way to Defense Against the Dark Arts. He made it at the last second and joined his friends, Sam and Nile, as Lupin walked out. In front of the class was a locked cabinet, it started to roughly shake and Marcus became extremely curious as to what was inside.

Lupin chuckled a little "Anyone care to take a guess as to what might be inside?" he asked and several students raised their hands. Lupin pointed to Sam "Yes?"

"Boggart." he said and Marcus smiled, looks like those study sessions with Anna were paying off for him. Lupin smiled showing he got the answer right, he started going over the basic facts about Boggarts.

Pretty soon it was time for action, "Now repeat after me, _Riddikulus._ "

Everyone repeated and then he had everyone get in a line. Marcus was third, behind Nile and Sam. Lupin walked over and flicked his wand, the door slowly creaked open and Sam stepped forward.

A ghostly person drifted out of cabinet, it reminded Marcus of the Dementor he saw but this was different. The figure was pale white and drifted slowly and Marcus could see right through it. Sam looked ready to faint as he held up his wand _"Riddikulus!"_ he shouted.

The ghost turned into a small sheet with a smiley face painted on it like those cheesy costumes kids wear. Everyone burst out laughing and Sam was grinning ear to ear, he laughed before fist bumping Nile and heading to the back.

Nile cleared his throat and held his wand tightly as the Boggart shifted and transformed into something else. When it stopped it was Nile himself, only he looked decayed and rotting, it was his death his own death terrified him. Nile paled and backed away as the corpse version of himself shuffled towards him, he held up his wand _"Riddikulus!"_ he shouted.

The corpse suddenly turned into a puppet version of himself and started dancing around. Nile couldn't suppress the smile and started chuckling as the Boggart tripped over nothing and fell on its butt. Nile walked back gave Marcus a thumbs up as he stepped forward.

The Boggart looked at him before it started to shift forms again, Marcus thought about the Dementor on the train or his father calling him a monster. He glanced over at Lupin and his scars burned, then the Boggart stopped changing and Marcus was looking at a werewolf.

He didn't even try to fight back as he screamed and fell to the ground, he scrambled backwards as the werewolf got closer. It bared its fangs at him as its face was inches from his, Marcus whimpered and closed his eyes waiting for it to bite him. It never did and when he opened them he saw Lupin locking the cabinet door.

"Class dismissed." he said loudly before he turned and started towards his office. Everyone filed out of the class except for Nile and Sam, they stayed and helped Marcus up who was still frozen in fear. He couldn't stop himself, the second he saw the werewolf he felt like a helpless child.

"I'm okay guys, I just need to talk to the professor." he said and his friends nodded but stayed in the room. He walked up the steps and knocked on the door, when he received no answer he wasn't going to be shut out. He pushed the door open and saw Lupin sitting on his bed looking like he was in pain "Professor? Are you alright?" he asked.

Lupin looked at him "A werewolf, that's what you fear most. And you fear it the most because of me." he surmised softly. Marcus sighed he didn't know what to say, it was a moment of weakness on his part he shouldn't have looked at Lupin.

"Professor I forgive you, really I do. That was was just...an image that went through my mind at the time. It's not because of you professor." he insisted. Lupin looked unconvinced and wiped his eyes before standing. Marcus sighed again "Professor please it's just a misunderstanding!" he pleaded but Lupin raised his hand.

"I appreciate what you are trying to say Marcus but the fact of the matter is that your deepest fear stems from me and what I did to you that night. Please of you don't mind I have some papers to grade." he said and gestured for the door.

Marcus sighed but in the end turned around and walked out.

Feeling hollow inside.

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	57. Chapter 57

Marcus was dragging Sam down the hall "No! No please I don't think I can do it! No please!" Sam kept shouting but Marcus wasn't having it. He pulled Sam in front of him and then started pushing him until they were right outside the Transfiguration classroom.

"Inside right now Sam!" he said and Sam gave a defiant whine before he walked in. Cedric, Nile, and Dan were all waiting for them and Sam tried to back out but Marcus blocked the door. Sam sat down and Marcus walked away from the door "Now Sam I saw how well you and Anna get along you're doing even better than I expected. One thing we need to work on is how well you can transfigure objects okay? She absolutely loves Transfiguration and she wants to go into spell making when she graduates. Work on that and it's smooth sailing from there!" he explained.

Sam still looked unconvinced "Look guys I appreciate the gesture but I'm good with charms not transfiguring. I'm helping Anna with her charms and she helps me study isn't that enough?" he asked and Marcus burst out laughing.

"Look if it was enough she would have given you a kiss already. Trust me no one knows more about her than me, she's very direct as you guys know." Marcus explained and all the guys nodded in agreement.

"Come on Sam just let us help you!" Dan insisted.

"We care about you buddy just accept that!" Nile said.

"Yeah I want to help too because you're a nice guy, caring, and I am bored." Cedric said which resulted in Marcus smacking him in the back of the head.

After that he cleared his throat and looked at his friend "So what do you say Sam?" he asked.

Sam grinned "Then let's get started!" he said taking out his wand.

 **One Hour Later**

Dan was unconscious.

Niles hair was on fire.

Cedric had run to get a teacher.

Sam was trying to put out the fires.

"Uhhhhhhh I'm just gonna...make sure we don't get expelled for this." Marcus said before bolting out the door. He had a cut across his cheek but other than that he was fine, well aside from the large amount of scars on his right leg and left arm that everyone stopped to look at whenever he ran by.

He had gotten used to people staring and didn't really mind it anymore. As he ran, he caught a glimpse of the DADA room and slowed down. He looked around and no one was in sight and he knew that Lupin was down in Hogsmeade with Flitwick.

He quickly ducked into the room and looked around, it was completely empty. He quickly shut the door and walked farther into the classroom until he heard the shaking. He turned and saw the cabinet and it was shaking violently. He took a deep breath, he had been scared before but now he felt confident.

He took a deep breath and flicked his wand, he heard the cabinet unlock and the door creak open. A long and slender hand reached out, it was covered in black fur and much too long to be a regular human. Then the full figure stepped out, it _was_ a werewolf! Marcus really did fear werewolves more than anything...because of that night.

He gulped hard and raised his wand at the monster approaching him. He was breathing unevenly as he backed away trying to put a little distance between them before he cast the spell. As backed away his foot hit a box and he looked down to make sure he didn't trip.

When he looked back up the werewolf was only a few feet away, Marcus gulped hard and hit the wall behind him. The monster bared its teeth and approached him slowly, it raised its sharp claw ready to swipe. Marcus closed his eyes and screamed loudly waiting to be hit.

 _"RIDDIKULUS!"_ a voice shouted and he felt the rush of wind across his face. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a small puppy barking at him and trying to bite his foot with its small teeth. Marcus chuckled a little before he looked over and saw Lupin standing there with his wand out. He put it away and stared at the teenager before he walked over and picked up the puppy, he then placed it in the cabinet and shut the door.

"Professor I...I just wanted...I was hoping to prove you wrong. I was hoping that maybe the werewolf was just a fluke. Apparently I was wrong, seeing that thing...my heart practically stopped. I thought if, I faced it then maybe you'd believe me. I..." Marcus had no idea what to say.

Finally Lupin walked over "Marcus, just the fact that you tried to face a Boggart without supervision or any time to prepare...it reminds me of myself when I was younger. My friends and I, oh we did the most idiotic things. Some of which I am not proud of, some of which I could have prevented." he said.

"You mean like Sirius Black going to prison?" he asked and Lupin seemed to forget how to breathe. Marcus sighed "My parents were at school during your year, my mother was in the same house. She knew that you and Black were close. Seeing your friend go to prison must have been awful, I felt the same way when my best friends parents were arrested. He blamed me for it and I thought the same thing for so long." he explained.

Lupin sighed "Sirius was always a loose cannon, James and I were really the only ones who could keep him in check. The fact that he turned James and Lily Potter over to the Dark Lord and killed our friend Peter, well I guess you never truly know someone until it's too late." he said sadly.

Marcus nodded "It hurts, it makes you feel like you didn't try hard enough. Almost as if it's your fault." he said.

Lupin sighed again before nodding "Well, enough about the past eh? Dumbledore asked me to come find you. He needs to speak with you right away, come on I'll escort you in case their are any more Boggarts." he said with a grin.

Marcus rolled his eyes "Ha ha."

Then they both walked out of the room together.


	58. Chapter 58

"So...what did you need me for Headmaster?" Marcus asked as he tapped his bone ring against a metal jar. Lupin had his hands in his pockets and Dumbledore was pacing the floor for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"Mcgonagall and Cornelius Fudge are meeting in Hogsmeade, I would like you to be there. I have come to rely on you a great deal and I want you to be fully part of what is going on. Lupin if you would be so kind as to apparate Mr. Dine to the village?" he said and Lupin nodded.

He walked over and held his arm out, Marcus had only experienced this once before but he steeled his nerves and grabbed his arm. The rush of wind and the distorted feeling as they traveled to Hogsmeade made Marcus want to vomit. They touched down, thankfully he was wearing his coat so he didn't freeze unfortunately his stomach didn't like the trip. He ran over to the nearest trash can and let loose his breakfast and lunch "Oh wow that was intense!" Marcus groaned out.

Lupin chuckled before he apparated out of sight, he wiped his mouth and then walked down the road. He quickly caught sight of Mcgonagall and Hagrid near the Three Broomsticks. He ran over and shook their hand "Good to see you feeling better Dine! Happy to have you here." Mcgonagall said. He smiled and nodded and then Madam Rosmerta walked out and tried to hang a few posters on the wall.

"Oh here let me help you with that." Marcus said and held the poster up while she hammered them in. When she was finished she smiled brightly.

"Ah thank you lass! Not many here who would help someone like you do!" she said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Marcus grinned as a carriage pulled up with Cornelius Fudge inside, Hagrid offered to help him out before he ripped the door right off. Marcus suppressed a laugh as he looked over and caught sight of Hermione, Harry, and Ron all staring at them.

"What do you want anyway Fudge?!" Rosmerta said annoyed and the Minister for Magic walked over and whispered into her ear. She turned around confused "Harry Potter?!" she asked loudly, Mcgonagall and Fudge both asked her to be quiet before they started into the pub.

Marcus looked back at the trio which now only consisted of Ron and Hermione. He could've sworn he noticed footprints in the snow before he followed Mcgonagall into the warm pub. He walked up the stairs and shut the door behind them as they all sat down.

Marcus leaned against the table as they started talking about Sirius Black and his escape. Suddenly the door opened slightly, Marcus frowned and walked over, no one was behind the door so he just shrugged and shut it. He turned back "So what does Sirius Black have to do with Harry?" he asked quizzically.

Mcgonagall sighed "Well it has to do with his parents. He may not have killed them but he's the reason their dead!" she said sadly. Someones breathe hitched, Marcus learned that with his wolf like tendencies came a bit of sensitive hearing just like a wolfs. He turned around at the sound and saw nothing, he looked at the wall and it was almost as if the air was visibly moving.

Harry Potter was in the room!

He slowly looked back as they started talking about some other guy "Not only that but he also killed one of their friends! Peter Pettigrew!" Marcus remembered Lupin mentioning a man named Peter. He heard a floorboard creak behind him, Harry was getting restless.

Marcus turned around and the shimmering had stopped, he held a finger to his lips and hoped Harry understood that he was keeping his presence there a secret. Fudge walked over and poured himself a glass of water he looked at where Harry was for a second before turning around "Black was vicious he didn't killed Peter. He destroyed him! A finger! That's all that was left! A finger!" he said as he sat back down.

"That's pretty horrible I thought he and the Potters were close." Marcus said and then Mcgonagall looked sad again.

"It's not the worst of it. He remains still to this day, Harry Potters godfather!" she said sounding heartbroken. Marcus recalled that Mcgonagall had taught both the Potters and Sirius when they were students. The door flew open and Marcus knew it was Harry.

"Uh, I'll just...bye!" Marcus said as he ran out the door and saw the front door open by itself. He shot down the stairs and out the door to see Ron and Hermione running down the road. Marcus quickly followed close behind as they ventured out of the village and into the forest.

Marcus very quickly dropped himself into the deep snow and turned into a wolf so no one would see him. He quickly ran through the snow, as a wolf he was lighter and more agile when he ran. The white snow greatly contrasted his brown fur but he had to figure out what was going on.

He raced through the trees and saw Hermione and Ron in a small clearing. He crouched down and hid behind a large tree as they talked to Harry about what he heard.

"I hope he finds me! When he does I'm gonna be ready! When he does I'm going to kill him!" he shouted angrily. Marcus quickly ran back and before he cleared the forest turned back and made his way back into the village. He saw Mcgonagall saying goodbye to Fudge and Rosmerta as she left the pub.

"Professor! We need to get to Dumbledore, right now!" he said and explained what he just saw and how Harry was in the room. Mcgonagall looked horrified that Harry overheard but nodded and she held her arm out.

He grabbed it and in a few seconds they were back in the Headmasters office. Dumbledore was talking to Snape and Lupin when Marcus interrupted "We have a problem, Sirius Black escaped to find Harry right?" he asked and they all nodded. Marcus remembered the look of rage on Harrys face back in the forest.

"Well Harry wants to kill him too."

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	59. Chapter 59

"No I'm not saying like make out with her the first chance you get Sam! I'm saying maybe a playful touch on the arm or a hug can really show you care about her and it can be romantic!" Marcus said to his friend. Sam was banging his head into wall out of annoyance, he had been trying to figure out what to do when he and Anna went to Hogsmeade for a final Butterbeer before the school year ends.

"I can't help it! She's so cute and I'm so...bleh! Would you date me Marcus?! You're gay right?!" Sam said with innocent intent in his eyes.

Marcus rolled his eyes "I'm not answering that and no I don't find you attractive because you are one of my closest friends!" he retorted and Sam groaned before slamming his head into the wall again. Then he backed up as if he was dizzy and fell on the bed. Marcus chuckled "Idiot." he whispered before he threw a blanket over his unconscious friend.

"If he doesn't wake up in an hour..." Marcus started as he picked up his dragon and placed him on his shoulder.

"Bring him to the Hospital yeah I know the drill." Cedric said as he went back to reading his book. Marcus smiled at the routine he and his friends had fallen into before leaving the Common Room. As he was walking he ran into Hermione Granger who looked crestfallen.

Marcus was confused until he remembered what day it was "Hey, sorry to hear about Buckbeak. You should probably head over to Hagrids he may need some support." he suggested and Hermione nodded.

"Thanks Marcus, I'll go get Harry and Ron, Hagrid shouldn't be alone at the moment." she said before walking away. Nax looked at the girl that was walking away and then at his master.

"Do you wish to mate with her?!" he asked and Marcus looked at him disgusted.

"Nax don't be gross or you're going back in the cage!" he threatened and even though he couldn't really see it he knew Nax was grinning. The dragon didn't say anything more as he made his way up to the Hospital to check on Nile.

Sam had accidentally burned part of his head so he had to get that healed. As he was walking up the steps he ran into Harry and Hermione, both looked cut up and worried. Marcus was confused "Granger? I thought you were heading to Hagrids?" he asked and she gasped as if she had just remembered.

Harry looked upset but confident "Hagrids! That's it! Thanks Marcus!" he said before they ran down the steps as fast as they could. Marcus frowned, how did Hermione get to the Hospital so fast without Marcus seeing her? She had just said she was going to Hagrids and how did she get hurt so fast? It had only been five minutes.

He waved it off and walked into the Hospital to check on Nile. He had a bandage wrapped around his head and his hair was sticking out over it but other than that he was laughing and chatting with Anna and Dan. They were all eating and when Nile saw him he lit up "Hey Marky we were just talking about you! Sit down have some food!" he said happily. He handed Marcus a piece of steak "Don't worry I know how you like it now!" he said with a smile.

Marcus was grateful that he and Nile had made up, he was always a good and caring friend to him. He smiled and took the steak, he took a big bite and ripped a large chunk out of it then began chewing. He looked at his friends and they all stared at him in amazement "What?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Dude I gotta ask cause I am curious. Am I dating a werewolf? Should I be concerned tonight?" he asked jokingly.

Marcus chuckled as he swallowed and burped a little "No I'm not a werewolf. I wasn't bit luckily but because I was scratched by the werewolf, while in my animagus form thankfully, I only developed a bunch of wolf like characteristics. I am not classified as a werewolf but some people still don't like me because of it, they see me as infected just because I was attacked by one." he explained.

Dan grinned "Dang that's pretty cool! The wolf thing not the people not liking you thing! I'm just gonna be silent." he said and stopped talking. Everyone laughed and Marcus chopped up a piece of fish and handed it to Nax.

"Ahhhh yes! Fish! Such a delicacy!" Nax said before devouring the piece and then attacked the rest of the meal. Everyone chuckled at the little scene before they finished their meals.

Marcus wiped his mouth "So I'm gonna go check on Hagrid make sure he's okay. The execution probably already happened so he must be pretty sad. I'll check on you later buddy, want Nax to keep you company?" he asked picking up his dragon.

Nile grinned and nodded and Marcus placed him on his head, the Slytherin laughed loudly as the dragon played with his hair. Marcus left them and made his way down to the courtyard, he started off jogging and ran right into Cornelius and Dumbledore.

"Oh Minister? Headmaster? I hope the execution was quick. We all know how much Hagrid loves his animals." he said rubbing his neck. Cornelius looked annoyed but Dumbledore looked pretty pleased with himself.

"It would appear that Buckbeak has run away. He will not be executed because we cannot find him." he said smiling as if he had planned it. Knowing Dumbledore he probably did plan it, he was detailed like that.

Marcus grinned, he was still going to see Hagrid to congratulate him. He may no longer have his animal but it was safe and can protect itself. He started down the path when he heard something in the forest, he cocked his head to the side and tried to remember where he heard that sound.

He racked his brain as his heightened ears kept hearing it and then it hit him like a car. It was Buckbeak! He saw that it was cloudy and getting dark so no one was around to see him as he turned into a wolf and started towards the forest. As he walked he saw his own front leg and saw that his fur parted to show his scars even in his animagus form he couldn't escape those scars.

As he ran through the forest he heard footsteps and stayed in the shadows. He saw Harry and Hermione rush by, right behind them was Buckbeak looking like he was having the time of his life. He saw them both sitting next to each other, staring at the Whomping Willow, Marcus had had enough of not knowing and he didn't care what the consequences may be.

He turned back into a human and approached them.

"You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you guys were waiting for something." he said loudly scaring both of the Gryffindors. He leaned against a tree with his hands in his pockets and glared at the two of them. They looked like they were thinking of something to say but he raised his hand "No lies, only the truth between us. What's going on?" he asked pointing to the tree.

Hermione looked at him and sighed "We are hoping to save Sirius Blacks life." she admitted and Marcus was shocked when he saw Harry nod.

"A few weeks ago you were ready to kill him! You said so yourself!" he said before he realized what he just said.

Harry got up and walked over to him "How did you know that? No one was with us also what were _you_ doing in the pub that day? I know you saw me and told me to stay quiet but why were you there in the first place?" he asked glaring at the Hufflepuff.

Marcus scratched his head not knowing how to respond. Finally he just sighed "I was asked...to keep an eye on you." he confessed, he silently apologized to Dumbledore for letting his tongue slip.

"By who?" he asked.

"Someone who cares about you and wants to make sure you're safe." he said cryptically. He guessed Harry knew who he was talking about because he gave a faint smile.

He bumped his shoulder "Thanks, I really appreciate it. Listen we may need your help later on okay?" he asked. Marcus frowned, why would they need his help when they didn't even know he was going to be there. Harry looked back at Hermione and she nodded "Stay close to the lake, we'll need you to call some teachers down when you see the signal." he explained.

"What's the signal?"

"You'll know it when you see it." was all Harry said before he walked back over and sat next to Hermione. Marcus started to walk away "Oh! By the way, Sirius Black is innocent. Peter Pettigrew is alive and he framed him. Figure you should know since you know what happened." Harry said and Marcus nodded.

He saw in the distance a number of figures were exiting the Willow, he saw Snape and Lupin and two of them actually...from they just seemed so...no that wouldn't make sense because Harry and Hermione are right there. He quickly made his way through the forest and he started to hear howling, he realized the moon was full...and he had seen Lupin!

He kept running down to the lake and he heard another howl, much closer and much softer. Like when someone makes an elk call when hunting this didn't sound exactly right, it didn't sound like a real howl.

Marcus had made it to the lake when he heard shouting and roaring. It was Harry and Hermione shouting and then another roar like Buckbeaks. He couldn't take it anymore and ran to go help them, he saw shadows washing over the ground and he looked up to a terrifying sight.

A massive amount of Dementors were flying by, making their way towards the lake that Marcus was just at. He shook the thought away and kept running, he tried to find Harry and Hermione only to zero in on something else.

Lupin, as a werewolf, staring at him from a distance.

His scars burned like lava as he remembered that night. He remembered the Boggart, he had faced one twice and couldn't act. This was no Boggart this was a werewolf, the very same one that attacked him. He felt scared, terrified, his heart was ready to leap out of his chest as the werewolf snarled.

Then he thought about his parents, his father called him a monster. He was going to prove to him that he is different than a monster. He took out his wand and held it out, then he put it back in his pocket and cracked his knuckles.

Then he charged the werewolf.

Lupin howled and started forward and Marcus felt nothing but anger and hatred towards this creature. He cared for Lupin but he felt nothing for this creature inside him. He ran as fast as he could right towards the feral beast.

As he was about to be attacked by the werewolf he switched into his animagus form and dove to the side. Lupin had jumped forward to tackle him and stumbled at the nimbleness of the smaller wolf. Before Lupin got his footing back Marcus charged and rammed his head into the werewolfs stomach knocking him to the ground.

It began to get up but Marcus growled and bit down into the larger beasts neck. Lupin howled in pain and Marcus poured all his strength into dragging the beast by the neck. Lupin flailed and tried to scratch him but was too disoriented as he moved him across the rocky ground.

Finally they came to a large hill and Marcus swung his head and let go letting the werewolf tumble down to the bottom yelping the whole way down. Marcus followed close behind and when Lupin swiped his claw he jumped back and then swiped both front claws against his face. Lupin howled in pain before Marcus bit down on his arm so he couldn't fight back and then he back kicked him hard in the face.

Lupin fell to the ground and tried to get up again but Marcus knew he had won. He changed back into a human and walked over to the werewolf. It looked up breathing heavily and hatred evident in its eyes but also nothing but a wild and feral mind was behind those eyes.

"Sorry about this Professor Lupin." he said before he kicked him as hard as he possibly could in the head. Lupin collapsed unconscious in the grass, Marcus doubled over to catch his breath when he heard someone shouting in the distance. He looked around and saw a massive white light in the distance near the lake.

That must have been the signal Harry was talking about!

He took a deep breath and ran down as the light died down. He stumbled a bit as he ran through the dense forest but soon came to the rocky shore and saw two people laying on the ground. He ran over and it was Harry next to who could only have been Sirius Black. He didn't know what he was supposed to do when he remembered about Snape.

He was with that group earlier, he might still be there. He quickly turned into a wolf and ran up towards the castle, halfway up he saw Snape running down with his wand. He quickly changed back and Snape saw him "Dine?! what are you doing down here?!" he asked annoyed but also with a nervous tone, he knew Lupin was a werewolf so he must have not wanted anyone to get hurt.

"It's Harry! We need to help him right now!" he shouted and the two made it down towards the rocky side of the lake where the two men laid unconscious. Snape grabbed Harry while Marcus grabbed Sirius then Snape apparated them back to the school.

They were met by Dumbledore and the other heads of House, they quickly arrested Black while Harry was taken to the infirmary. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder "Mr. Dine, words can't even begin to say how bravely you acted today. To show my gratitude I would like to make a part of our order, an order made to fight against the Dark Lord if you are interested of course." he said.

Marcus thought for a second before smiling "Sure I'll join, anything to stop Voldemort from coming back." he said.

Dumbledore smiled again and shook his hand.

"Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix!"

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	60. Chapter 60

"You don't think they'll catch Peter before the trial?" Marcus asked as he looked at the night sky he had just finished writing a letter and handed it to an owl, it took off into the night as he turned around. He was standing next to the locked gate at the top of the tower, inside the gate was Sirius Black looking terrified.

Sirius sighed "Their won't be a trial kid. I'm going to be give the Dementors Kiss as soon as they put me back in Azkaban. I won't survive." he explained and Marcus felt horrible. This whole time he thought that Sirius Black was this vicious and bloodthirsty man but he was actually innocent and caring.

"Well, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." he said he knew he should be keeping his mouth shut but ever since Sirius had escaped he was worried that he was actually coming after him. He had kept that secret close to him and told no one about it not even his friends.

Sirius scoffed "What have you got to be sorry about?" he asked as he looked over at the teenager.

Marcus fought the urge to say something but the secret was too much for him to bare "My parents...they were the ones. They...were the Aurors that originally arrested you. Twelve years ago. If they had just listened to you...if they had just made the effort to believe you then maybe things would have been different." he said.

Sirius made a deep sigh before leaning back "Your parents, my parents, anyone would have thought the same thing. I wasn't thinking clearly that night kid. It was on me not your folks. Don't beat yourself up." he said and Marcus felt better at the kindness this man was showing him he never could see him as a murderer now.

"Listen you better head to bed kid. Nice talking to someone before...you know." he said and Marcus nodded. He started down the tower and he had just reached the floor below when he heard shuffling above and then an explosion. He rushed back up with his wand ready when he saw large wings in the distance.

Buckbeak, he looked around and saw the gate was blasted open and Sirius was gone. Marcus couldn't help but smile as he watched the winged creature get smaller and smaller. He quickly made his way down the tower and into his Common Room.

He walked into the dorm and saw everyone was fast asleep, Marcus climbed into his bed and quickly fell asleep soon after.

 **The Next Day**

Marcus woke up later than he usually did. He had a rough night so he should have expected this to happen, he quickly got dressed and walked out. He found his friends in the Hospital with Nile, who was feeling much better and had his bandages off, they all looked gloomy and Marcus couldn't figure out why as he walked up to them.

When they saw him Dan rushed over and pulled him into a hug "I'm so glad you are okay! We heard about what happened! I can't believe the werewolf that attacked you was Lupin!" he said nervously. Marcus looked down at his arm, he was wearing long sleeves but the very ends of the scars peaked out as they ran across the back of his hand.

"You guys know about Lupin?" he asked and they all nodded.

"It's all over the school! He was fired this morning." Nile said and Marcus gasped. How could they fire him?! Okay he attacked a student and aided a convicted criminal but still! If anything Marcus did more damage to Lupin the other night than Lupin did the night he attacked him.

Marcus shook his head as he heard shouting outside. His friends all rushed to the windows and saw a blur of movement that sounded like someone screaming. It took Marcus a few seconds to realize it was someone on a broom. They were going so fast it had to have been a new model or something.

Marcus didn't think much on it because he ran to catch Lupin, he had already sent a letter to his parents so he was going through with this plan of his. He didn't know how his parents would react but they owed him this, when he battled the Auror in a few days they were going to confront him and he was going to stand his ground.

He rushed to the DADA room and into the office but it was already empty. Marcus cursed and figure he must be on his way to Hogsmeade, he just had to hope that Lupin was taking the scenic route. He rushed through the school and went to the training grounds, luckily Madame Hooch wasn't there. He quickly grabbed a broom and hopped on, he took off into the sky and he saw the village over the trees.

He shot forward and made it to Hogsmeade in just a few minutes, he quickly ran to the train terminal. He scanned the platform and caught sight of Lupin sitting alone on a bench with his bags, he looked nervous as he rubbed his hands together.

"Professor Lupin?" Marcus said and the man looked over and saw him approaching.

He smiled "I'm not a professor anymore, just call me Remus. I heard that I attacked you again last night. I'm sorry Marcus, I guess my termination was fair given the circumstances." he said. Marcus saw the marks that he had given him with his claws, a few thin scars ran across his forehead.

"I know how horrible werewolves are treated in the world. It's very unfair, the only thing to help you is the Wolfsbane potion. However its very expensive and because people dislike werewolves they can't get good enough jobs to pay for the potion." Marcus said and Lupin nodded in agreement.

"Which is why I want to ask you to come work for me."

Lupin whipped his head around in confusion probably to see if Marcus was kidding or not. Marcus didn't laugh though "My parents could really use a groundskeeper. We have a lot of land and it's hard to keep track of some things such as making sure certain animals don't get in to ruin the flowers or making sure no one is on the property." Marcus explained.

Lupin looked shocked "I...I can't take that job I'm afraid. After what I did to you it would be an insult to your parents for me to..."

"Why not let me worry about my parents. I'll make sure you are compensated fairly, we'll get you those potions and we have a few cottages along the far side of the property so you can transform without hurting anyone. You're going to be okay Lupin, anything to help out a fellow member." he said with a cheeky grin.

The man smiled "Dumbledore inducted you as well? The man works fast I'll give him that." he said and Marcus chuckled.

"So what do you say Remus? Interested?" he asked holding out his hand. Lupin looked at it for a few minutes and Marcus could see him thinking it over finally he smiled.

They shook hands.

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	61. Chapter 61

"Okay now remember Marcus, keep on your feet and make sure you don't lose your balance. Your strength is relied on your stance and if you stumble you'll lose your concentration." Lupin said as they walked through the school. It was the last day and nearly everyone had already gone home, all of the teachers, his parents, and his friends were waiting for him. Ollivander had also agreed to join because he was going to take Marcus to his shop to see if he could find a second wand again.

He took a deep breath as he and Lupin walked together, he had been training him the last few days to prepare him for his duel but he was still nervous. Finally they reached the main courtyard where everyone was waiting for him, a man stood in the center in a trench coat.

He had met this man once before, he always had a temper and was fairly violent but fiercely loyal to the Ministry.

Salvius Marrow.

"Are we doing this or what?!" he shouted in an annoyed tone. He had his wand at the ready and Marcus looked at Lupin who gave him an encouraging nod. He took his wand out and raised it "You remember the terms of this duel pipsqueak?" Salvius said tauntingly.

Marcus never liked him, he was a jerk and very rude to others, he knew he was a pure blood supporter but he was still a man of justice. Marcus nodded "If I win I can stay here at Hogwarts. If I lose I have to go home and I won't complain." he announced. His friends all suddenly became very scared, he forgot that he never told them about the duel.

Dumbledore stepped forward "Are you both ready?" he asked and the two combatants nodded. Dumbledore looked at Marcus "Ready...Duel!" he shouted.

Salvius immediately fired a jinx and Marcus blocked it, he stumbled slightly but kept his ground as Salvius fired again. He blocked it again and this time he fired back, Slavius blocked it with ease before he fired a hex. Marcus blocked and quickly shouted _"Bombarda!"_ at his feet.

The explosion knocked Salvius back and he looked angry, looks like he doesn't enjoy losing. He started firing back faster and faster pouring more strength into his spells. Marcus blocked and wondered why this man we being so aggressive with a young teenager.

He was glad that Lupin and Flitwick had trained him extensively in blocking because none of Marrows spells were hitting him. He fired again and Marcus sidestepped instead of blocked and let the spell hit the wall, it erupted in a small bout of flame and Marcus started to get worried that this man might actually be trying to hurt him.

Marcus fire the Knockback Jinx and then immediately went on the offensive. He started to push Marrow back towards the group of people who all moved to the side. Marrow could only block and he grit his teeth in annoyance, Marcus kept firing hoping to get a hit on him and end the duel when Marrow cheated.

He grabbed a handful of gravel on the ground and threw it at Marcus, his eyes burned at the pieces of dirt in his eyes but he kept them open as Marrow fired again. He blocked and then fired back, the second he blocked Marcus shot a spell at the ground and dust kicked up making Marrow cough. He wiped his eyes as quickly as he could and saw that Marrow was still coughing violently.

 _"EXPELLIARMUS!"_ he shouted and Marrows wand was ripped from his grasp and Marcus quickly caught it. All of his friends cheered and the teachers clapped in congratulations as everyone approached them.

His parents still looked worried but they both took deep breathes "Well Marcus, you've proven that you can defend yourself very well. Dumbledore and Snape also told us what you did to help Harry Potter a few nights ago. If anything this school is making you braver, we would be idiots to take you out of here." Seamus said and Marcus smiled. Seamus smiled too "I'm proud of you son." he said and pulled him into a hug, his mother joined them and Marcus felt content.

Then they heard the throat clear.

They turned and saw Salvius standing there looking incredibly mad. He had his hand out "My wand pipsqueak?" he said and Marcus rolled his eyes before handing the wand over to him.

"Mind if I see that for just a minute?" Ollivander asked Marrow. He frowned but then shrugged and it handed it to the old wand maker. He held the wand and put it to his ear and gasped "Dragon Heartstring. Alder wood. Eleven inches. Oh my!" he said with a gasp. Everyone looked at the old man as he stared at Marcus in amazement "This wand has changed its allegiance! This is now your wand Mr. Dine." he said.

Marrow scoffed "Yeah right, that's my wand! Give it here!" he said but Ollivander pulled his hand back and handed it to Marcus. Marrow glared at Marcus "That is my wand and you will give it back! Don't make me take it from you kid!" he said angrily.

"Did you just threaten my son?!" Amelia said taking out her wand, Seamus did the same thing as they stepped in front of Marcus. Marrow eyed their wands and seemed to realize he didn't have one, he backed up. He gave Marcus one last glare and snorted angrily.

"This isn't over between you and me kid!" he shouted before apparating out of the courtyard. Marcus let out a sigh of relief something about that man scared him, his demeanor and temper were a force to be reckoned with.

Dumbledore walked up to him "Well done Marcus! I will see you next year, have a safe summer." he said before he and all the other teachers walked back into the school.

Now it was time for the hard part.

Marcus looked at Lupin who seemed nervous now, "So mom? Dad? You guys know I can defend myself. Have you thought about my idea?" he asked cautiously. His parents both tensed and his mother quickly stepped forward.

"Son, what you are asking for is a pretty big thing." she said and Marcus clenched his jaw.

"You are always complaining about how the hedges are never trimmed, how the weeds get too tall, how animals are always getting on the property and knocking things over. Remus would take care of all those things! All I really ask is that he paid enough so he can afford the Wolfsbane Potion. He needs it, he's a good man. This? That attack was just one small anomaly he's really a good guy who deserves a chance." he defended.

His parents looked at each other and then finally back at their son "Okay son, we'll try this out. However if anything happens, you are responsible alright?" they said and Marcus couldn't help but grin. Lupin let out a breath and shook their hands.

"Thank you I promise I will not disappoint!" Lupin said happily. His parents nodded before Lupin went back inside most likely to make sure he was all packed.

"Well, say your goodbyes to your friends son. We'll be down in the village when you are ready to go." Seamus said and they apparated leaving only Marcus and his friends in the courtyard now.

Marcus pulled all of his friends into a hug, except for Nile since he was officially his brother now that he lived with them. He gave Dan a kiss and then pulled Sam aside "Here, I wrote down a few conversation topics you and Anna can talk about on the train ride back. Good luck Sam." he said in a whisper handing him a slip of paper.

Sam smiled widely before pulling him into a hug. After that he hugged Anna and then gave Cedric a handshake "We still up for the Quidditch World Cup this summer?" he asked and Marcus laughed.

"Yeah man! I'll meet you and your dad there! We got the best seats!" Marcus said happily. Cedric laughed too before pulling him into a hug. After that he a Nile made their way down towards the carriages that would take them to the village.

"You excited for next year?" Nile asked and Marcus thought about everything that happened this year. He couldn't help but smile.

"Can't wait!"

 **END OF YEAR 4! REVIEW!**


	62. Chapter 62

**START OF YEAR 5**

Marcus sighed as he looked at the letter in front of him. He was supposed to leave in a few minutes with his father and Nile to attend the Quidditch World Cup and he was excited until he read the letter. He scanned over the piece of paper again.

 _Hello Marcus,_

 _I have heard that you will be attending the World Cup this summer and I wish to ask you a favor. Harry Potter will also be attending, I have asked Arthur Weasley to keep a close eye on him but I wish for you to also watch over him. Former Death Eaters are attending and it is critical that Harry Potter does not come to harm. I know you have done much and to ask you for more is near insulting but I have come to rely on you greatly over these years. I have asked another Order member to meet you there, you will recognize him and he will identify himself. Good luck Marcus._

 _-Albus Dumbledore_

Marcus groaned in annoyance, he was hoping his summer would at least be relaxing. Most of it was, he and Remus practiced every day and he stayed in the cottage on the far side and was well accommodated. His parents were even starting to come around and enjoying Lupins company. He had extensive knowledge on potions and helped out around the house whenever he could.

"Hey Marky you almost ready?" Nile shouted from down the hall. Marcus looked back and saw his packed bag, he put the letter in his back pocket before he quickly grabbed his bag and threw his jacket on. The jacket, a black and red zip up hoodie, was custom made for him so it would hide his werewolf scars but was also heavily enchanted to keep him cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

He quickly made his way down where his father and Nile were waiting for him. His mother walked in and gave her a hug "Have fun sweetie! Be careful and stay together!" she said. They all nodded before making their way out of the manor and up the road.

As they walked Marcus trudged a little behind, he was really hoping that he would only have to worry about the Order when he was at school. Having to do stuff in the summer was near blasphemous! Pretty soon they cut through the forest and came to a field, in the center of the field was a chair.

Marcus had done this many times now with his father as the trio stood around the piece of furniture. Nile looked confused "Grab on guys!" Seamus said and the three grabbed the chair and were immediately lifted high into the air. Marcus always enjoyed traveling by portkey, the rush of wind felt nice, after a few seconds they all let go and Marcus quickly made sure to start running so he didn't fall. He and Seamus hit the ground but apparently Nile had never traveled like that before because he was on the ground groaning.

He quickly helped his brother up and the group made their way up the hill. On the other side were thousands of tents of numerous sizes and thousands of people all celebrating and cheering. In the distance Marcus saw the massive stadium where the games were held. He grinned as they quickly made their way through the crowd, Seamus stopped outside a large tent and then went through. Nile and Marcus followed and saw that the inside was massive, easily big enough to fit thirty people.

Marcus dropped his bag on his bed and they heard the front of the tent open, Cedric and Amos Diggory walked in. Marcus ran over and pulled Cedric into a half hug before shaking his fathers hand "Good to see you Mr. Diggory!" he said and the older man grinned widely.

"And you my boy! I say how is your friend...boyfriend? The Barnes fellow? He stayed with us for a while so I want to make sure he's in safe keeping." he asked curiously.

Marcus grinned "He's my boyfriend and yes he's doing very well, his parents have recovered and are doing great." Amos seemed satisfied with the answer and went to go talk to Seamus. Nile walked over and gave Cedric a fist bump before they sat down at a table.

"How have you been Cedric?" Nile asked and Cedric propped his feet up on the table.

"Pretty good, I have a few galleons down on the Irish winning so, here's hoping." he said and they laughed together. Marcus also had a few bets going, regardless of outcome he was going to win some money he was crafty like that sometimes.

Seamus walked up "Well boys let's get going! We need to get to our seats the game will be starting soon!" he said and the boys all got up and made their way out.

When they got to the stadium they started climbing up the stairs, the whole time Amos Diggory and Seamus were talking about their sons. It sounded like they were constantly trying to one up the other by saying the achievements their sons had done. He looked over and saw Cedric trying hard not to laugh as the men continued to brag to each other.

As they were walking they ran right into Draco Malfoy "Well look who it is! The mutt and his pack!" he said with a smirk. Marcus glared and was tempted to throw him over the railing and see if he was still smirking then. Draco look unimpressed "Yeah my father and I are in the Ministers Box! We are the guests of Cornelius Fudge himself!" he bragged and Marcus rolled his eyes.

He was about to brag some more but Marcus pushed his hand against his face and knocked him out of the way. He fell to the ground and Marcus stepped over him "Yeah we are in the Ministers Box too, who do you think invited Fudge?" he said and made sure to wipe his dirt covered boot on Dracos suit.

Nile and Cedric both laughed as they stepped around the Slytherin and caught up with Marcus. He opened a door and they found their seats, Cornelius Fudge was talking with Lucius Malfoy. As soon as the blonde haired gentleman saw Marcus he glared daggers at him.

He just smirked and then shook the Ministers hand before he took his seat. Cedric sat next to him, then Nile, then Seamus, and then Amos. The Minister finished talking to Malfoy and then he stepped onto the balcony and pressed his wand to his neck.

He announced the beginning of the game and everyone started clapping and cheering. Marcus, Nile, and Cedric had all gotten Irish hats as they cheered for the team to win. Marcus was impressed with how fast and agile Victor Krum was on his broom, no wonder he was the best Seeker in the world.

Suddenly he heard a strange purring sound, his heightened ears were able to pick up on it among the roar of the crowd. He looked around until he looked behind him and saw a strange sight.

A nearly spectral creature was staring at him, it looked like a cat but not quite. Marcus realized it was a lynx and that he was staring at a Patronus. He quickly turned to Cedric "I'll be right back okay? Let me know if anyone scores!" he yelled over the thousands of cheering fans. Cedric nodded and Marcus quickly followed the lynx out of the room.

The entire inside of the stadium was deserted as the games were near sacred and no one would miss it. He followed the animal down some stairs and turned a corner to find a large man standing there. The Patronus vanished and Marcus knew this was the Order member Albus had mentioned in the letter.

"Marcus Dine?" he said and he nodded, he knew who this man was he had met him a number of times at the Ministry.

"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt."

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	63. Chapter 63

**Okay so I finally found someone who looks like what I picture Marcus to look like. Canadian actor Keenan Tracey. If you've ever seen Bates Motel he plays Gunner. That's Marcus.**

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"So what did you need sir?" Marcus asked and Shacklebolt looked around nervously.

"Dumbledore explained why we're here? Death Eaters are among the people here and we need to figure out who they are before something happens. Come along Marcus." he said and started down the stairs. Marcus groaned, he wanted to watch the World Cup but he knew something like this couldn't be swept under the rug. He drew both his wands and followed the man down the steps.

Last year he had dueled the Auror Salvius Marrow and he had won the duel but that wasn't all. The mans wand, an alder wand with Dragon Heartstring, had changed its allegiance from Salvius to Marcus. Over the summer Marcus trained using two wands again but found the combination to be noticeably different than when he used two Unicorn Hair wands. While his Unicorn wand was still strong alone, the Dragon wand cast spells much more easily, using them together produced strangely powerful spells. He was hoping to one day have another wand of Phoenix feather to try out those combinations as well.

He pushed the thought away as he followed the man to the bottom of the stadium. As they walked Marcus took this chance to figure some things out "Shacklebolt? What exactly is the Order of the Phoenix?" he asked.

The man did not slow down as he scanned the tents as if looking for someone. Finally he spoke "Dumbledore created the order back when You-know-who first rose to power. It was made to fight against his tyranny I actually have with me...ah here it is! Take a look at that, the original Order members." he said handing him an old and weathered photograph.

Marcus recognized quite a few people in the picture. Lily Potter, James Potter, Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Remus, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, Hagrid, and four figures on the far right of the picture.

His parents and Dans parents!

They were younger but Marcus knew those were his parents in the picture. He recalled his first year at Hogwarts when Dans parents were kidnapped by his demented grandfather and his followers. They had said the Order members were captured, he now realizes they meant the Order of the Phoenix.

"Is MACUSA involved with the Order?" he asked since the Barnes were technically working with the American government and not the Ministry. However this seemed like a very secretive society and it didn't make sense that Americans would be involved with the Ministries affairs.

"Not officially, Charles and Alexis were a special case. They had diplomatic missions in the Ministry and the Death Eaters drove them into hiding and couldn't let them leave. Dumbledore and I were the ones that found them and they agreed to join our cause as long as they made sure of one thing. MACUSA did not send any more Aurors over, only them because the more Aurors the higher the likelihood that the Order would be discovered and You-know-who would find out. So far over the years they kept good on their promise." Shacklebolt explained.

"Well I guess having MACUSA interfere might have been seen as aggressive, good thing they didn't do anything or our relations might not be as good as they are right now." Marcus surmised before he stopped. He grabbed Shacklebolts arm and put a finger to his lips. They both crouched down behind a tent and peered over, a large group of hooded men had gathered and were talking in a hushed tone.

Marcus heard a roar and turned to see the stadium in the distance, someone must have scored judging by how loud the cheering was. He turned back and drew his wands as Shacklebolt did the same, they moved closer being careful not to be spotted. The Sun had set long ago so they had the cover of darkness to help them.

"We must attack now! They are all in the stadium!" a frantic voice said, just the voice alone told Marcus that the man was not mentally well. He tried to get a view of who was talking and caught a dark haired man in a trench coat, he was tall and very thin and looked like he was in charge.

"If we attack now then a message will not be sent! It will only be seen as a terrorist attack we must wait until after the game! That is when we will attack." another said and the man rubbed his neck. Finally he sighed and nodded before he walked away and out of sight.

Marcus and Shacklebolt both looked at each other before they quickly rushed back to the stadium. They ran as fast as they could into the stadium and up into the Ministers Box. Cedric stood up when he saw them "Where have you been?! They're tied come on!" he said with a grin. When he saw how scared Marcus looked his smile dropped "What's wrong?" he asked.

Shacklebolt and Marcus walked over to the Minister who was talking with another official. One Marcus knew all too well and did not like at all.

Bartemius Crouch Sr.

"Minister we are in grave danger we need to leave right now!" Shacklebolt said and explained what they saw. Barty looked worried, he was always a paranoid man regardless of the situation he was in.

Fudge just chuckled "Oh, I'm sure it's just a couple of kids just playing around in the dark. Nothing to worry about!" he said with a smile.

Marcus was stunned "I'm sorry...but what?! How can you just not do anything?! These weren't kids! These were grown men and they were plotting, we heard them! You are the Minister! You have to do something about this!" he shouted over the roar of the crowd.

Lucius Malfoy leaned over "Minister are you hearing this boy? A child is telling you how to do your job?" he said and Marcus glared at him. He would do anything to discredit Marcus after he got him kicked off the Board of Governors.

Fudge nodded and looked at Marcus "Quiet right Lucius. You are just a child, you know nothing about what I would have to deal with if this was a real threat. However it is not! The Dark Lord is gone! We have nothing to fear!" he said happily.

Marcus had had enough "Then say his name." he said coldly. The Minister gulped as he stared at him "If there's nothing to fear...then say his name." he said calmly.

Fudge gave a wavering smile "Off with you boy! Enjoy the rest of the tournament! Do not bother me again." he said with the wave of his hand signalling that they were done talking. Marcus grit his teeth before walking back to his seat and sitting down.

He looked over and saw Barty looking worried as he and Shacklebolt began talking but Lucius was smiling as he continued to whisper things into the Ministers ear. Every so often they would both look over at him and then go back to talking.

Marcus sighed heavily and then turned his attention back to the game.

 **Later That Night**

Marcus was sitting at the table drumming his ring finger against the wood while his friends were all talking about the match. He was so angry with the Minister how he just pushed everything aside and ignored the obvious signs that something was going to happen.

"Oh man what a game! Did you see how fast Krum was going!?" Nile said and Cedric laughed when suddenly they all heard shouting outside. Marcus quickly walked out and saw fires blazing in the distance, people were screaming and running away.

The attack had begun!

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	64. Chapter 64

"RUN!"

"DEATH EATERS!"

"SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!"

Voices all around screamed for help as fires raged across the massive field. Marcus tried to figure out what was happening when Seamus and Shacklebolt ran up to him.

"Marcus the Death Eaters are attacking the camp! Get everyone back to the portkey now! Keep Nile and Cedric safe! Go!" Seamus said before running off to fight the Death Eaters. Marcus wanted to stay and fight but he knew he had to keep his friends safe.

He ran into the tent and got his friends packed "We have to go! Right now!" he said and they ran out of the tent. They were alone as the fire raged, being so close to the stadium not many people were set up near them. They all took off across the burning field and wreckage trying to get back to the portkey when a man stood in front of them.

Marcus couldn't see their face but judging by their stance he knew it was a man and the glare behind his mask said that he was looking for him. He waved his wand and Marcus pushed his friends out of the way as he drew his wands. He blocked the mans spell and then at they same time they fired.

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!_ "

 _"STUPEFY!"_

A blast of energy erupted from their wands and they connected. Marcus could only keep his concentration with his Heartstring wand and didn't dare use his Unicorn wand. The connected energy went back and forth as the spells battled against each other. Finally Marcus brought his wand down and the spells collided with the ground and exploded in a shower of dirt and ash.

 _"EXPELLIARMUS!"_ he shouted and the mans wand flew out of his grip and Marcus caught it. He then fired again and knocked the man to the ground "Let's go!" he shouted and they continued running. Another Death Eater stepped out but Cedric blasted him back and he hit a burning tent while they ran by. They had just made it up the hill when a trail of black smoke appeared in front of them.

The smoke dissipated and a man stood there in a trench coat, the same man that he saw earlier that night. He drew his wand and Marcus quickly fired a curse at him, he blocked it and then fired back. They dueled back and forth for a few minutes before Nile and Cedric joined him. The man was fast, erratic, and brutal with his attacks, finally he shot at the ground and the trio were blasted off their feet.

Marcus rolled across the ground groaning and watched as the man walked by with a smirk. He wanted to get back up and fight him but he was outmatched, this man was much more experienced and stronger than him. Finally the man vanished from sight and he helped his friends back up "What the hell was that?" Cedric asked as he put his wand away.

Marcus shook his head "No idea but I really don't want to go and ask, come on lets back to the portkey." he said and they made their way across the field. Amos and Seamus were already waiting for them and when they saw that they were okay they quickly grabbed the chair and got out of there.

When they got back Marcus said goodbye to Amos and Cedric before going with his father and Nile.

He could've done something.

 **Hogwarts**

"Hey guys." Marcus said as he hugged all of his friends and gave Dan a kiss. Dan and Nile quickly went to their table as Marcus sat down with Anna, Cedric, and Sam and started talking.

"So we heard about the Quidditch World Cup! I hope you're okay! Did anyone get hurt?!" Anna asked. Marcus nodded and assured her that they were fine, what he didn't tell them, or anyone for that matter, was the wand.

The wand that he had taken from the Death Eater, he had taken it to Ollivander when he visited Diagon Alley for his supplies. The wand was a maple wood, Dragon Heartstring, and now answered to him! Marcus had a third wand now it had changed its allegiance. He kept it in his trunk but didn't use it, he didn't know what he was going to do with it.

"And now we welcome the students of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Headmistress Olympe Maxime!" Dumbledore announced as the doors opened and a bunch of students wearing blue uniforms walked in. They all marched to the front and bowed before moving to the side. Dumbledore stepped up again "We now welcome our friends from the north! The proud sons of Durmstrang! With their Highmaster Igor Karkarof!" as soon as he was finished a bunch of students walked in wearing black and brown uniforms.

Marcus recognized the man that lead them, Igor was a former Death Eater when Voldemort first rose to power. The fact that he was the head of the Durmstrang Institute made Marcus rather suspicious. Igor walked up and hugged Dumbledore before he waved his wand and revealed a large goblet lit with a blue flame.

"This is the Goblet of Fire! If you are seventeen or older you can enter your name. Just remember that if you are chosen, you stand alone in these horribly dangerous tasks." Dumbledore said and allowed Barty Crouch to explain the rules of the tournament. Suddenly it started raining in the Great Hall and a blast of some sort of spell hit the ceiling and it cleared.

Marcus looked at where the spell had come from and was surprised at who he saw.

Alastor Moody.

He couldn't believe that the legendary Auror was here, he had met him a few times hell he was the one that trained his parents but to see him at the school was something else entirely. He stared at the near insane Auror with wonder before Dumbledore got everyones attention again.

"In the end only one will go down in history and receive the Triwizard Cup! As of right now, the tournament has begun." Dumbledore announced.

Marcus looked at Cedric and knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to put his name in the goblet, well that's Cedric for you. He noticed him and grinned "What are you thinking Marcus?" he asked, Marcus smirked.

"I'm thinking, let the games begin!"

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	65. Chapter 65

"Go on Cedric! Don't be a chicken!" Marcus said laughing as he and Sam pushed Cedric passed the age line Dumbledore drew around the Goblet of Fire. He put his scrap of paper in the goblet and then jumped and tackled his friends.

"You guys are such jerks! Don't ever change!" he said laughing. Marcus laughed again until Dan and Anna walked in, he stopped laughing when he saw that they both had pieces of paper in their hands.

"Dan you're entering?! It's dangerous!" Marcus said as Dan quickly put his paper in the fire as did Anna.

"You didn't care that Cedric entered." Dan said curiously.

Marcus scoffed "Yeah but Cedric doesn't let me kiss him whenever I want." he said blushing a little. Everyone started laughing at his blush before leaving to go have dinner.

 **A Few Days Later.**

Marcus was seated next to Cedric, their friends were all around him as they waited for Dumbledore to speak. He approached the Goblet and the flame turned red and spit out a piece of paper "Victor Krum!" he announced. The students cheered as the Bulgarian stepped forward and took his paper. The Goblet spit out another piece of paper "Fleur Delacour!" he yelled and the students cheered as the girl stepped forward and took her place with Victor.

Marcus was sweating, three of his friends were entered into the Goblet and these tasks were supposed to be deadly! If anything happened to any of his friends he wouldn't what he would do! The Goblet turned red and another piece of paper flew out. Marcus gripped Dans hand tightly as Dumbledore grabbed the piece of burnt paper and read it aloud.

"Cedric Diggory!"

Everyone cheered and Marcus clapped him on the back, if anyone can handle a tournament like this it was Cedric! As Cedric left with the other two students the Goblet turned red again. All of the teachers looked confused as a fourth piece of paper shot out. Dumbledore grabbed it and it looked as if he was about to faint "Harry Potter!" he shouted loudly.

Marcus gasped, he looked over at where the Gryffindor was sitting and he looked like he was trying not to be noticed. He was hoping this year was going to be fun with the tournament but now that Harry was in it, illegally mind you, he was going to have to make sure that he didn't get himself killed.

He rolled his eyes in annoyance as Harry walked over and took his piece of paper and left. Dumbledore looked terrified "Everyone return to your dormitories immediately!" he ordered but he looked at Marcus and he knew he wanted him to stay.

As everyone filed out he walked over to the Headmaster and as soon as the door was shut he turned to the other Headmasters "What happened?!" he said frantically. As they spoke the other Headmasters came up with theories of their own.

"He cheated! No other way it could be!" Olympe stated.

"How?! He's a fourth year!" Moody retorted.

"He's guilty of course!" Igor stated and Marcus groaned at the former Death Eaters comment.

"By all means convict him before he gets the chance to speak!" Marcus growled and Igor glared at him. His parents were the arresting officers of his capture when he was sent to Azkaban for his crimes. It was likely he knew who he was given how he snarled at him.

Dumbledore rubbed his forehead "Marcus please I need you to go speak with Hagrid in a few weeks alright. He will need your help with organizing the first task of the tournament." he explained and Marcus nodded before making his way out of the Great Hall.

Marcus was starting to regret this, joining the Order, protecting Harry, and now he had to help with the Triwizard Tournament?! It was all starting to become too much for him. He made his way back to his dorm and met with his friends and all the other Hufflepuffs who were already coming up with banners and war paint in support for Cedric.

 **A Few Weeks Later.**

"So why am I needed Hagrid? I'm sure their are a number of students better trained with magical creatures right?" he asked as they trudged through the thick forest.

"Well yes but...these particular creatures are your specialty." he said proudly and Marcus realized what he meant. As they broke through a clearing he saw four dragons in cages all of them threatening the handlers with insults. Marcus looked at all four and recognized the breeds, Newt Scamander had given him a book on dragon breeds.

The Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball, Swedish Short Snout, and the Hungarian Horntail. Marcus couldn't believe the size of a real Horntail, the dragon was massive unfortunately the things it was shouting would give Nax a run for his money.

"Release me at once! Filthy Warm Bloods! Where is my egg!? My egg! I shall devour you all!" it shouted before breathing fire. Marcus ducked as the fire set the tree behind him alight, that thing has a temper!

Hagrid helped him up "Dumbledore was hoping that you could calm them down, maybe explain to them that this is not a real egg and that they won't be hurt?" he asked. Marcus knew how much Hagrid loved dragons, if he left Nax with him for more than twenty minutes he would be too fat to fly on his own.

"I'll see what I can do." he said as he walked over to the Welsh Green dragon.

"Release me! I must have my egg! They have taken my egg!" the dragon shrieked. Marcus realized that it wasn't angry it was frightened, it was worried. Marcus held his hand up to show that he didn't have his wand out.

"It's okay, the egg that you are talking about is not a real egg. It's for a game that we are having, you have to protect the egg from a...Warm Blood?" he said using the dragons terminology. The dragon seemed to calm down but more out of confusion that he was speaking to him.

"A Warm Blood speaking? What is your name?" the dragon asked curiously, Marcus was confused at the request but didn't see the harm in it.

"My name is Marcus Dine."

"THE DRAGON FRIEND!" the green dragon roared and then blew fire into the air. The other three dragons did the same as him and then the Welsh Green looked back at Marcus. It seemed like it was trying to grin "The friend of dragons! The one who speaks our tongue! The Vipertooths speak of you far and wide! The one who released them from slavery! You honor me Dragon Friend!" he said as he bowed his head.

Marcus didn't know what to do so he just bowed back "Thank you? Really I'm here to tell you that everything will be okay, the egg is not real it is merely the reward if the Warm Blood successfully acquires it. You are not in any real danger." he explained.

"The egg is a fake?" the Chinese Fireball dragon roared and Marcus nodded. The Fireball looked to be just as calm as the Welsh Green, the Short Snout ceased its roaring as well. The only one still making a fuss was the Horntail.

"Liar! Deceiver! I will not succumb to your lying silver tongue! Burn!" he shouted and shot fire towards him. Marcus dove to the side as a bush was set on fire. A metal foot then planted itself right in front of him, he looked up to see the Alastor Moody staring down at him.

He helped him up as Hagrid ran over "Marvelous creatures dragons! Aren't they?" the large man said. Moody simply grunted in annoyance before taking a swig of his flask and groaning as he swallowed.

Marcus frowned "You alright Alastor? What are you drinking?" he asked. Moody grumbled something about annoying students before pushing past Marcus and looking at the dragons.

"Which one of these is the most dangerous?!" Moody asked, Marcus frowned, is he blind? He calmed down all the dragons except for the one that was still blowing fire which one did _he_ think was the most dangerous?!

"The Horntail Moody, it's literally breathing fire and trying to kill everyone." he said softly. Moody glared at him, something seemed so different about him he was nicknamed Mad Eye so it would make sense if his behavior is erratic but he felt in his gut to watch out. His heightened nose picked up something, it smelled foul and saw Moody put the flask away, was he drunk?!

He shook the feeling away and as he made his way back to the school, he contemplated telling Cedric as he walked through the school. That was when he noticed that everyone was wearing badges going against Harry and supporting Cedric. Marcus rolled his eyes as he caught Cedric and Harry talking, after that Harry walked away and Cedric saw him and jogged over.

"Hey Marcus so I just found out what the first task is. Dragons, your specialty! I was wondering if you could help me? Like maybe give me a few pointers so I know how to beat it but not hurt it?" he asked. Marcus chuckled and nodded before he started down the hallway.

"Oh wait Marcus!" Cedric yelled and caught up with him. When Marcus turned Cedric handed him something, a small silver badge that looked like the Prefect badges. Marcus was confused before Cedric clapped him on the back "This tournament is going to take up all of my time buddy and I can think of no one better to take over the position." he explained.

Marcus pulled his friend into a hug before he pinned the badge to his uniform.

"Good luck Cedric." he said and Cedric grinned.

"Good luck...Captain!"

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	66. Chapter 66

"Alright next up we are looking for the Keepers! Sam and Frederick, let's see what you guys got!" Marcus announced and Sam got on his broom and went to the hoops as did the other player. Marcus had asked Dan to take care of the shots made to the practicing players because he was a Chaser on the Slytherin team.

Dan grabbed the Quaffle and trained the Chasers while at the same time throwing the ball at the Keepers. Marcus grabbed his bat and joined him, he threw the Quaffle towards him and Marcus struck it as hard as he could. The ball sailed right towards Sam who was able to catch it at the last second and throw it back.

Suddenly Marcus got bumped from the side and was met with the glaring gaze of one of the Hufflepuff Chasers. Zacharias Smith, the 'rightful captain' as he put it, he was apparently next in line to be Quidditch Captain before Marcus was given the position.

"You think you're hot stuff huh?! Talking to dragons and taking my position?!" Zach growled. Marcus rolled his eyes, how this kid was put in Hufflepuff he'll never know he was selfish and self centered to the core. Zach got closer until they were practically bumping shoulders "I bet right now you couldn't do anything because you're nothing! Everyone hypes up what you did when really you're just a coward." he said angrily.

Marcus glared at him and then grinned "I think it's time you took one for the team!" he said and brought his bat down on his broom. Zachs broom snapped in half and he screamed as he flailed and tried to regain control before crashing into the muddy ground. Marcus laughed "Man down!" he said as Zach rolled on the ground in pain.

Dan flew up next to Marcus "That jerk annoying you again?" he asked and Marcus nodded. He had the Quaffle in hand "Yo Zach! Heads up!" he yelled and tossed the ball up and Marcus struck it hard. The ball hit Zach in the gut and sent him to the ground again. The duo laughed and fist bumped before going to back to their training session.

Finally the practice was over and everyone gathered around him "Okay guys good work! Here are the positions and who got what. If you didn't get in then sorry guys better luck next year." he said hanging the sheet on the wall and the group of students gathered around it in a mob to see. Dan quickly joined Marcus as they left the field and into the school.

Marcus took off his gloves and flexed his hands as he walked down the halls towards the Great Hall. He opened the doors and saw all of his friends talking, Cedric was looking nervous as he talked about the dragons, since he already knew Marcus saw no harm in showing him the types.

"Hey Mark, so what do you think you can show me?" Cedric asked as Marcus sat down. He had thought about this long and hard and felt pretty confident in this plan of his.

"I'm going to teach you Drakkantongue." Marcus said and Cedric looked stunned before he nodded. Marcus whistled and Nax flew into the room and landed on the table, throughout the school year he let Nax roam free since everyone knew about Marcus and his dragons. He pet Nax a bit before continuing "So here's what you are going to do, you are going to ask the dragon for the egg. If that doesn't work...well try to focus on not getting eaten or burned." he said with a chuckle. He handed a small egg to Nax who took it and stood in front of it like Marcus asked.

Cedric sat across from Marcus "Okay repeat after me, be very precise, and very clear when saying it okay?" Marcus said and he nodded. Marcus slowly spout out a series of guttural sounds and roars that sounded just like a dragons. When Marcus finished Cedric tried to recite the sounds, he did a horrible job "Yeah don't say that, you practically just said they have the face of a squashed watermelon." he said suppressing a smile.

Cedric groaned in frustration "Don't worry we got time man! We'll figure this out." he assured and Cedric nodded before trying again. This time he got closer, what he said wasn't insulting but he more or less demanded he check his tail. Nax looked at Marcus but he nodded and Nax continued to stare at the older Hufflepuff.

This went on for a good long while until Cedric finally asked for the egg in very broken Drakkantongue. Nax looked back and Marcus nodded, Nax then stepped aside and pushed the egg towards Cedric. He grinned and picked it up "I said it right?" he asked.

Marcus shrugged "More or less, keep practicing what you said was very broken so they might not understand. I'll make sure you keep saying the right words, other than that you did great! You aside from sounding like an alligator giving birth you did fantastic!" Marcus said and clapped him on the back. Cedric looked relieved just as Sam ran up to them, he looked very happy as he sat down.

"Hey guys! Marcus thanks for naming me Keeper again!" he said in his usual bubbly and happy tone.

Marcus chuckled and nodded "Well you were the best choice for the job buddy! Hope you don't disappoint." he said jokingly causing everyone to laugh.

"How was the tryouts?" Cedric asked and Marcus rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Stupid Zach talking about how he should be captain, honestly the kid doesn't know a Snitch from a Bludger!" Marcus grumbled. Cedric laughed but nodded in agreement, just as the very student they were laughing about came up covered in scratches and mud.

He glared at Marcus as he stopped in front of him "I have had enough of you! I'm going to report you to the teachers!" he said angrily. Marcus stood up and towered over the shorter teen, he still had his Bludger bat with him and he really wasn't liking this kid.

"What are you going to say?! The new captain is being unfair because he didn't put me on the team?!" he spat coldly.

Zach nodded "Yes! I'm the best player! Even better than pretty boy Cedric! I should have been captain long ago but you guys took it from me!" he shouted. Marcus had had quite enough, he turned around and looked at Nax.

Nax looked uncomfortable "You give me permission?" he asked softly.

Marcus leaned down "Nax? Burn his fucking head off!" he ordered with a grin. Nax roared before taking flight and dive bombing on top of Zachs head, he screamed as the small dragon blew fire and staring ripping into his hair.

"GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!" he screamed loudly.

Marcus never laughed harder.

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	67. Chapter 67

Everyone was eating breakfast when the mail came in, owls flew everywhere and dropped mail. Sure enough one of the larger owls, a pitch black one by the name of Rooter, flew down and dropped a stack of letter in front of Marcus. He grinned as he picked them up "Thanks Rooter." he said and handed him a piece of steak, the owl pecked it before flying away out the window.

Marcus flipped through the bundle of letter he had until he came across the last one, a dark grey letter, he frowned as he read the words on the envelope. Sam leaned over "Who's it from?" he asked curiously, Marcus was sweating a bit before he quickly stuffed the letter in his back pocket and smiled.

"Just a letter from my dad no big deal." he said quickly as he finished his steak in just a few bites. He had always enjoyed meat but now he craved it, he didn't mind though it's not like it was anything new to be ravenous when he was hungry.

"Oh! The first task is going to be starting soon! We better go!" Sam said and Marcus looked at his watch. The task was in a half hour they had to get going or they wouldn't get good seats! They quickly got up and ran down the hall right into Dan, Nile, and Anna.

"Hey guys we were just coming to get you, we better get moving the task is starting soon!" Nile said and Marcus nodded and they all made their way outside. When they reached the small arena they were lucky to find a spot right at the railing so they got a perfect view of the whole scene. As they all leaned over the railing Marcus took a deep breath, he hoped Cedric was practicing the phrase he had taught him or else he was as good as dead.

The Weasley twins were taking bets and Marcus rolled his eyes, really that's in poor taste. Suddenly a cannon fired and a lot of people screamed while Marcus almost fell right over the railing. Everyone started cheering and Cedric walked out of the tent "Whoo! Let's go Cedric!" Marcus cheered with his friends. He saw them and smiled, then he turned his attention to the golden egg which was perched on a rock. The gate opened and the Swedish Short Snout quickly crawled out onto the arena.

The dragon shot a blast of flame and Cedric ducked to the side, Marcus winced as he saw the burn marks on his friends face. The Short Snout jumped in front of Cedric and he held up his hands, Marcus felt his heart stop hoping the dragon would give him the chance to speak.

Everyone went silent as Cedric slowly and carefully let out a few low and guttural screeches "Egg...can I...take?" he asked. Marcus was impressed at how well he pronounced it and the dragon cocked its head to the side. It seemed like it was trying to make sense of what he just heard, then it started talking.

"My egg? You wish to take my egg? My task is to protect the egg!" it said confused, Marcus must have explained the dragons task too well to them because it looked ready to eat Cedric. Luckily he was a quick thinker because he waved his wand and a rock a little ways away turned into an animal. The dragon looked over and chased after the transfigured rock, while Cedric ran for the egg. He was only halfway to the egg when the dragon turned its attention back on Cedric.

"Come here! Tasty Warm Blood!" it roared and chased after the Hufflepuff, Marcus was starting to get worried as the dragon snapped its jaws towards Cedric. Over the cheering Marcus gave a sharp whistle, the Short Snout looked in his direction and froze momentarily. It cocked its head again "Dragon Friend?" it asked curiously before Cedric grabbed the egg and booked it back into the tent.

Marcus and his friends all cheered, Cedric had passed the first task with a few minor hits!

Soon Fleur walked out looking confident, the egg was placed and the Welsh Green stomped out. It looked around and spotted Fleur who was a blur of movement as she ducked behind the rocks. Sam, Nile, and Marcus all started cheering wildly for the girl to win. She was such a beautiful person, Marcus couldn't help but root for her to win.

"Let's go Fleur! You got this!" Nile shouted.

The Welsh Green started towards the girl and blew fire "Stay away from my egg!" he roared. Marcus started sweating, the dragon was fast and he was tempted to yell at the dragon to not eat her. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and opened his mouth.

Only to be hit in the chest and he groaned a bit, he looked over to see Anna glaring at him "Don't do it Marcus!" she said. They looked over and Fleur was attempting to distract the dragon with sparks while she inched towards the egg.

"You were going to tell the dragon to stop weren't you?!" she asked. Marcus rubbed his neck, he just wanted to help her win "Don't you know who she is?! She's part Veela Lame Brain! I talked to her the other day and she told me." Anna shouted over the cheering crowd.

Marcus frowned she was a what? Anna rolled her eyes "She can make men fall for her! If you tell the dragon to stop then that's cheating! That isn't fair! You whistled and distracted Cedrics dragon, that can be overlooked but commanding the dragon to stop is something else entirely!" she shouted.

Marcus shrank back a little "S-Sorry, didn't realize it." he said rubbing his neck and cutting it once more with his ring. Anna sighed heavily and flicked her wand, sealing the cut again that Marcus seemed to always reopen with his ring.

He looked back and the dragon was listing lazily until finally it fell to the ground and blew a bit of fire at Fleur. Her skirt was smoking a bit as she put out the fire before she quickly ran over and grabbed the egg. Everyone cheered as she ran back into the tent. Nile and Sam were whistling and whooping like dogs as the sleeping Welsh Green was taken away.

Soon Krum walked out with his wand at the ready. The egg was in the center and the Chinese Fireball dragon was clever, it was waiting behind a rock. Marcus had read about the Fireball and he knew that they were particularly crafty when it came to protection. They could feign injury to let their preys guard down or appear to be gone when in fact they were hiding waiting to ambush.

However, Krum was even more crafty.

He ran towards the egg and as soon as the dragon roared and blew fire he jumped to the side. He dove behind a rock as the dragon blew fire across the arena trying to burn him. His shirt was smoldering so he ripped it off. Which led to all the girls screaming in delight.

"OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!"

"THROW ME YOUR SHIRT!"

"MARRY ME!"

"YOU'RE SO HOT!"

"Dan?!" Marcus said as his heard his boyfriend shout compliments to the Bulgarian. Dan blushed brightly at the realization that they were right next to each other.

A Slytherin girl pushed her way passed them and practically climbed over the railing but Marcus and Sam pulled her back. She was screaming "I LOVE YOU KRUM! PLEASE JUST KISS ME!" she shouted. Marcus and Sam pulled her back just as the dragon blew fire towards the sound of her screaming.

Marcus and his friends ducked as the fire burned the railing and was so close to them that he could feel the heat of the flame burn the ends of his hair. The Fireball was staring at them intently but only for a second before it looked back at Krum but by then it was too late.

Krum cast the Conjunctivitis Curse on the dragon and struck his eye. The dragon reared up and blew fire "My eye! My eye!" he roared as he scratched at it. The distraction was enough for Krum to rush over and grab the egg and run back to the tent.

All of the students of Durmstrang and a lot of Hogwarts girls cheered loudly for Krum. Well, that was three out of four completed and it was hard for Marcus to watch any of it because he hated seeing dragons upset, raising Nax had made him have such a soft spot for dragons.

The real tragedy was Harry Potter!

He walked out and the Horntail immediately attacked him "Death to you! You shall not take my egg! I refuse to give you what little I have!" it screamed. Marcus honestly felt bad for the dragon, it must not have had a tribe, no family, it just wanted something to love and this egg was it. Now killing someone is over the line but that was the curse of hearing what dragons are saying, only you can understand how they truly feel.

Harry quickly summoned his broom and jumped on "Where is the Warm Blood going?! Stop! Come back Warm Blood! I meant no true harm! It is only for the task! I cannot let you take my egg! Warm Blood!" he shouted and then started to fly after him. Marcus gasped as the chain snapped and the Horntail gave chase.

It must have realized what Marcus had told him, it wasn't angry if anything it was frightened. Marcus started breathing heavily at what might happen, he could hear the dragon shouting for Harry to come back. He had learned that dragons were a lot like cats, if you run they will follow almost on instinct.

Soon he heard a large crashing sound followed by a cry for help in Drakkantongue. Then nothing, Marcus let out a shaky breath and a tear fell down his cheek as he came to realize what had happened.

The Horntail had been killed.

He couldn't believe he just heard that, he had just heard a dragon die and it was one of the most traumatizing sounds he ever heard. Dan and Sam saw him breathing unevenly and pat his back "Are you okay?" Dan asked and Marcus shook his head. What. Did. Harry. Do?!

He was filled with rage as Harry came down with a bunch of cuts and grabbed the golden egg. He grit his teeth in anger "That miserable little...Argh!" Marcus didn't have words at how mad he was as he quickly made his way down. His friends started calling for him to stop, pretty soon most of Hufflepuff and Slytherin House were following him trying to see what he was so mad about.

He marched over and saw Harry talking with most of Gryffindor House and when he saw Marcus he stopped laughing when he saw how mad he was.

"You got some nerve Potter!" Marcus roared, Harry backed a few feet at the sudden aggression. One of the Gryffindors, Dean, tried to intervene but Marcus pushed him away. He glared daggers at Harry "You didn't have to kill that dragon Harry! You could have just used a sleep spell like Fleur or blind it for a few seconds like Krum! You didn't have to kill it!"

"It was trying to kill me!" Harry shouted back.

"No it wasn't! It was curious!" He shouted, he wasn't sure how but the Hufflepuff students started nodding in agreement with him.

"It bit my broom and nearly ate me!" he snarled and a bunch of Gryffindors were behind Harry agreeing with him.

"It was trying to direct you back to the arena! You killed it! Do you know what it's final words were?! Do you want to know what it screamed as it died!? It screamed WHY?! It was trying to help you!" Marcus shouted every word he spoke he got angrier and angrier.

"You know what man, why don't you back off before something happens!" Harry snapped.

Marcus scoffed and stepped forward "You threatening me?" he asked coldly.

Harry started to take out his wand "No I'm going to shut you up!"

Marcus brought his fist up and punched Harry in the nose, knocking him to the ground.

Then all hell broke loose. The Gryffindor students and Hufflepuff students descended into chaos as the two houses started fighting each other. Marcus watched as Harry got back up but he just punched him again and sent him to the ground once more. The Slytherin house were cheering the students on, nearly everyone he knew was fighting and it looked like an all out war.

Marcus felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Cedric with his egg "We should probably go before the teachers show up." he said frantically. Marcus nodded and called his friends over, once they were all there they took off running as the war escalated into a massive fistfight, but he saw people starting to take out their wands.

They quickly ran back to the school the whole way Marcus thinking how he just practically started a blood feud between the houses because he was angry. He never knew he had that kind of fight in him, sure he had fought evil people before but this was a school fight, he couldn't escape from it.

But he killed a dragon! It was peaceful and it meant no true harm to Harry. Marcus groaned as he thought this over when they finally reached the common room. They said goodbye to Nile and Dan before heading into their room. As soon as the door closed Marcus remembered something important, he couldn't believe he had forgotten about it.

"You okay Marcus?" Anna asked and he nodded and gave his friends a smile.

"Just feeling a little bit sick, I'll be right back." he said before he went up to the dorm rooms. As soon as the door was shut he locked it and quickly took out the letter in his back pocket. He read the words on the envelope but didn't dare open the letter, he was too scared of what it my say. The words on the envelope alone terrified him.

 _"Marcus Dine: Child of Le Fay"_

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	68. Chapter 68

_Hello Marcus Dine,_

 _Yes we know who you are, we also know who your parents are and everyone else you know. Now unless you wish for them to come to any harm you will follow these instructions carefully. Along the coast of Loch Ness is a castle known as Urquhart. You are to meet us there by midnight tonight or we will hunt you and your loved ones down like dogs. If you wish to know of your grandfather, of your lineage then you will do as we say._

 _The choice is yours._

 _Make the right one._

Marcus read the letter over and over again, his breathing was uneven and shaking. Whoever this person was they were not a friend of his they were threatening him to comply with their demands. Why did they want to meet him though? it didn't make sense.

Finally the eagle statue stopped moving and Marcus quickly made his way to the door and knocked furiously. The door opened slowly and he rushed in to see Dumbledore who was talking with Moody and Snape. He ignored them and looked at the Headmaster "We have a bit of a problem, someone sent me a letter, telling me to meet them or else they'll hurt me and my friends. What are we going to do?!" he asked.

Dumbledore read the letter and then remained silent for a good long while before finally he looked back at Marcus. He handed the letter to Snape "You are to do nothing Marcus. This is most likely a trap." he explained.

"Well, then it's one hundred percent working! I can't put my friends in harms way! I'll go and convince them to leave my friends alone, this is between me and them!" he said but Dumbledore shook his head. Marcus was livid at his response, he was going to let his friends get hurt?! He was just going to do nothing?!

"I know someone who is near the castle, someone who hopes to join us, maybe they can help. I do not want you going understand, you are much to valuable." he said firmly indicating that the conversation was over. Marcus clenched his jaw in anger before leaving he ripped the letter from Snape and walked away, making sure to knock a few books off the desk as he left.

He stomped down the stairs and sat down on one of the benches, crushing the letter in his clenched fist. He sat there for maybe an hour just thinking about what he should do when he heard footsteps. He looked down the hall and saw Nile approaching him, wearing his uniform and Prefect pin, he looked worried.

"Anna and Sam said you'd be here. What's wrong? They said you looked pretty scared." he asked as he sat down next to him. Marcus just shook his head and handed him the letter, he read it over a few times before his eyes went wide. He lowered the parchment and looked at his best friend "What are you going to do?" he finally asked.

Marcus had been thinking about it hard "Screw Dumbledore, the only thing we know for sure is that if I go, then no one gets hurt. That's a fact." he said.

"Unless they're lying." Nile said and Marcus groaned in annoyance. He hadn't thought about that, what if they were just tricking him? What if they hurt his friends anyway?

"Me going...is the best chance there is for no one to get hurt. I have to do this, I don't care what Dumbledore said." he said confidently until he realized one thing. He groaned "Dumbledore probably figures that, he's going to have teachers patrolling most likely. How am I supposed to get out of here?!" he wondered aloud.

Nile snickered a little "Dude, Slytherin! I know a few ways out of the castle that teachers don't know. One little tunnel in the kitchens leads to just outside the Three Broomsticks. Used it all the time my first year." he explained. Marcus looked at his best friend curiously and he laughed "I got a bit of evil in me, I would sneak out and sort of mess with the upper years a bit sometimes." he admitted with a grin.

Marcus laughed and put his arm around Nile and gave him a joking strangle, Nile was always the more devious of the two and Marcus was always the most rebellious. Together they were an adults worst nightmare, and they loved it.

"Tonight I'll show you but on one condition Dine." Nile said with a serious tone. Marcus listened to what he had to say "I'm going with you, you need back up with whatever this is and I won't let my best bud do this alone." he said with a grin.

Marcus wanted to argue and tell him it was too dangerous, but he was right. He would need help and who better to help him then someone who's always had his back? Marcus nodded "Okay, you can come but don't tell anyone. I don't want all of my friends in one place, that just means whoever this is has easier access to them." he said and Nile nodded.

"Meet me by the kitchens tonight after curfew, I'll take care of transportation." Nile said and Marcus nodded. Nile put his hand on his shoulder "We'll figure this out buddy. Don't worry." and with that he got up and walked away.

Marcus took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

It was gonna be okay.

 **That Night.**

Marcus quickly sneaked out of his common room and made his way into the kitchens where Nile was waiting for him. Nile handed a couple House Elves some money and they walked out the door completely avoiding eye contact.

"Paid them to look the other way. Come on we have ten minutes." Nile said and started to lift a stone slab on the ground. Marcus ran over and helped him lift it, when it was over it was a ladder leading into a tunnel. Nile went first and then Marcus, who quickly moved the slab back in place.

They quickly ran down a pitch black tunnel using Lumos to light their way. After twenty minutes of running Nile stopped and put his wand away, then he climbed up another ladder and pushed another slab of rock out of the way. He climbed out and helped Marcus before moving the piece of rock back in place.

Nile quickly ran and handed Marcus a broom and they both took off together into the starry night. As they flew Marcus felt his heart rate shoot up faster and faster the closer and closer they got to their destination. Finally they broke through the clouds and they saw the ruins of the famous Scottish castle.

They flew down and touched the ground, they quickly hid their brooms from plain sight and made their way up the hill. As they walked Marcus looked out at the massive and beauty that was Loch Ness. He wondered if that mythical story was true, that there was a beast in the Loch that preyed on innocent people. A monstrous beast that devoured any who would enter the Loch.

As they reached the castle ruins Marcus looked at his watch "Almost midnight, get your wand ready." he said and Nile took out his wand while Marcus took out his. They looked around and saw nothing, Marcus listened for any sign of someone else being there but all he heard was the gentle waves of the Loch. Marcus felt into his robes and felt the third wand on his belt, he had decided that in case he ever lost one he would keep any he collected close to him in case of emergencies.

"Where could they..." Marcus started.

"Hello son." a voice said behind him. Marcus felt his heart stop as he turned around and aimed his wands at nothing. Suddenly the air all around them shimmered and all around them hooded wizards stepped out of the shadows. Marcus and Nile stood back to back as they aimed their wands at their attackers.

Then a man stepped out, he looked just like his father but his hair was chalk white, in his hand was a cane but Marcus knew he didn't need it. The man grinned evilly, Marcus could see the near insane light that shone in his eyes.

Cassius!

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	69. Chapter 69

"Oh dear boy put that wand away. Do you honestly think if I felt you would use it I wouldn't disarm you?" Cassius asked with a smug grin. Marcus bit his lip before he lowered his wands, he hated his grandfather but he was still his grandfather, he didn't have the confidence.

"W-Why did you want me here grandfather?" Marcus asked with a shaky voice. Cassius walked forward and held his cane tightly, Marcus had never paid much attention to it before but the handle of the cane was polished silver, an insignia was inscribed on the handle as well but he couldn't make it out.

"Oh I didn't want you...I need him." he said pointing to Nile. Marcus stepped in front of his friend and pointed his wands back at him, now he had the confidence to fight him.

"You're not touching him. Stay back!" he said menacingly, his grip on his wands tightening. Cassius clenched his jaw before he gripped his cane and swiped it to his other side. That was when Marcus realized that it wasn't a cane, it was a scabbard! His grandfather was holding a glinting sword in his hand.

Marcus licked his lips as he eyed the razor sharp rapier that no doubt Cassius was incredibly skilled with. He kept his wands trained on him as the Knights started to step closer, a few of them grew impatient and started forward.

Marcus turned and fired his wands in both directions, stunning two wizards at a time. Cassius clapped slowly, his sword gleaming in the moonlight "Well done, you have improved my boy. I am mildly impressed." he said in a bored tone.

He glared at the older man and fired a stun at him, Cassius moved his sword in a blocking position and the spell bounced away from him. Marcus continued to fire but the sword acted like a shield, Cassius grinned before swiping the sword and slicing open his hand. Marcus cried out in pain and dropped his Heartstring wand and clutched his bleeding hand.

"I warned you before, I will kill you if I have to. I do not wish to harm you my boy just hand over Nile and this will all be over." Cassius said as he wiped the blood off of the tip of the sword.

"Why do you want him?! How did you even know he would be here?!" Marcus spat as he felt blood seep through his fingertips. The sword had cut deep, Cassius was not playing around with that thing he cut him to show he was serious.

Cassius laughed a little "The Knights have many eyes and ears, not even Hogwarts is safe Marcus. As soon as we heard young Mr. Grudge was coming we knew we couldn't let this opportunity pass." he explained.

Marcus was trying hard not to focus on the pain his hand was radiating "You promised me answers! That none of my friends would be hurt!" he shouted. Cassius stared at him but eventually rolled his eyes and lowered the sword.

"I am nothing if not a man of my word. What do you want to know?" he asked. Marcus let out a small hiss of pain as he applied pressure to his hand but thought of some questions. He had to keep his grandfather occupied while he thought of an escape plan.

"Why do you want Nile? What did you need him for?" he asked, his grandfather chuckled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Dear boy, do you know how our founder Morgan was killed? She was slain by the Knights of the Round Table and with her death they fused her soul to forever be in eternal torment. How they did this was through a blood ritual, the only way to break the ritual is by using the very same blood. In this case, Sir Galahads." he explained with scowl directed at Nile.

Marcus recalled when Nax first met Nile that he smelled ancient blood in him, he was related to Galahad? His blood was needed to release the most evil and vile witch that has ever lived?! Not while he was still breathing!

Cassius started towards Nile but Marcus interrupted "What about us! How can we be related to Morgan Le Fay?! She never married." he quickly said. Nile was slowly reaching for his wand, hopefully no one saw him, Cassius looked annoyed now but stopped moving.

"No she never married. She fell in love with the head of the Dragon Council, the opposite of the Knights of the Round Table if you will, and with him she bore a child. He was killed shortly after Morgans death, the Knights raised him and soon he led them. For countless generations our line ruled in the place of our lady, but now that we have Galahads blood we can bring her back." he said with a smile.

Marcus felt like he wanted to vomit, his father was insane! He was completely out of his mind! He fell to his knees in pain, his hand was throbbing now and blood was pouring out. Cassius must have cut a main vein, he saw in the grass his Heartstring wand.

"Dragon Council?!" Marcus gasped out as he inched slowly to his wand. He stopped in his tracks when all of the men surrounding him starting speaking in a guttural language that he knew all too well.

"Every member can speak Drakkantongue." Cassius said smugly before he let out a sharp whistle. They heard roars in the distance and suddenly a number of different dragons appeared in the distance and landed nearby. Cassius grinned "You didn't really think you were the only one did you? Our society has domesticated dragons since time immemorial!"

Cassius started towards Nile again "I am done answering questions! Come along boy!" he said grabbed Niles arm. He whipped his wand out and stabbed it into the older mans eye, Cassius screamed in pain and let go of Nile as Marcus grabbed his second wand.

"Nile run!" he shouted as he protected himself and stunned Knights through his shield. His best friend gave him a look of worry before taking off down the hill, Marcus kept the Knights's attention as he fired at any that came near.

"You ungrateful little...COME HERE!" Cassius roared clutching his bleeding eye. His sword in hand, Marcus fired the Knockback Jinx repeatedly but Cassius was fast with his sword.

Too fast! Cassius was closing in and Marcus backed up to maintain a good distance. Soon his foot hit the edge of the cliff, nothing but open air and the Loch behind him. He fired again and this time Cassius swung his sword ricocheting the spell and striking Marcus. He grunted in pain and stumbled, dropping his shield for just a second.

That was all Cassius needed.

Cassius leaped forward and swung his sword cutting the Heartstring wand in half and knocked his Unicorn wand out of his hand, the momentary confusion gave Cassius enough time to drive the rapier into his stomach. Marcus gasped slightly as Cassius thrust the sword deeper into his gut. His face twisted in pain as tears fell down his cheeks, he opened his eyes and saw the grinning face of his demented grandfather.

He leaned forward until his mouth was right by his ear "Long live the Knights son." he whispered menacingly. Then he thrust the blade out which was almost as painful as the stab into him.

Cassius chuckled before he simply pushed Marcus and he had no energy to stop him. He didn't hit the ground, he fell through the air towards the freezing cold water. His vision was blurry and the last thing he remembered before he hit the water was his grandfather walking away and someone screaming his name.

It may have been Nile or maybe it was his ears playing tricks on him from blood loss. At any rate he hit the water and all bodily senses shut off from the shock, the water was murky and dark. Everything became distorted, he could see the trail of blood as he sank deeper and deeper into the seemingly endless abyss. His lungs screaming for oxygen he couldn't give.

The moon was all he could see at this point, so big and so bright. He wished he could stay in the light but darkness was surrounding him, he couldn't fight it. Suddenly he felt something nudge his back, something large, slimy, and alive!

It nudged him some more and soon he felt whatever it was cover the entirety of his back as if giving him a ride.

Then nothing.

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	70. Chapter 70

Marcus opened his eyes, though he wasn't sure how he could open them. He was dead, he had been stabbed, fell off a cliff, and then drowned. How was he staring up at the night sky? He breathed in and then immediately retched, he shot water out like a fire hose as he tried to breathe.

He coughed violently and gulped in air as he took in his surroundings, he was on some sort of island, very tiny maybe fifty meters across. He rolled onto his back in the rocky shore and winced, he lifted his soaking wet shirt and saw the place where Cassius stabbed him.

It was just a scar, barely noticeable now even his hand was patched up, a crescent shaped scar lined his left palm now. He groaned as he sat up, how had he gotten there?! He looked off to see Urquhart Castle in the distance. He must have been over two hundred yards from the shore no way he floated there on his own.

He reached for his wands and then the images of what happened flashed in his mind. Cassius broke his Heartstring wand and his Unicorn wand was still at the castle as far as he knew. He quickly reached for his belt and pulled out his other Heartstring wand he had snagged from the Death Eater at the Quidditch World Cup.

He slowly and achingly got to his feet and cracked his back, he walked around the island and found nothing that would explain how he got there. He stopped on the far side of the island where there was a tiny little cliff barely ten feet tall. He looked into the water and couldn't see the bottom, must have been a drop off Marcus knew that this Loch was the deepest in all of Scotland with drops offs everywhere.

Marcus turned around and sighed heavily he ran a hand through his hair, what happened to Nile?! What if the Knights got him after he fell?! He suddenly heard a rumbling behind him and the sound of water parting as something rose out of it. A massive shadow washed over Marcus and water began to drip onto his head, Marcus lost the ability to breathe at what might be behind him and he had a pretty good idea.

He turned around and a massive serpent was staring down at him, Marcus backed up and tripped over his own feet. He had heard stories of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster but he never believed them and he never expected it to be so terrifying. The serpent had to be over a hundred feet long and its mouth was lined with hundreds of razor sharp teeth, Marcus screamed as the creature lowered its head towards him.

Instead of eating him it nudged its large nose against him, Marcus slowly lowered his hand in confusion as the beast looked at him curiously. Then it dived into the water, bubbles formed at where it was a second ago and then out rose a massive horse.

The Loch Ness Monster was a Kelpie!

The massive Water Horse put its front hooves on the ground and stared at him. It cocked its head to the side before letting off a series of rumbles and whinnies. The wind picked up and the water churned and the long hair/kelp that made up the mane of the horse wrapped around the beast.

When the kelp retracted standing in front of him was very tall man. His hair was made from kelp and his skin was the color of the Loch water, murky and gray. He stepped onto the beach and his clothes seemed to be made from seaweed. He stopped in front of Marcus and crouched down, he was nearly ten feet tall and looked as strong as an ox.

"Lord!" he said in a deep voice that vibrated Marcus' bones, the man took a step closer and grinned showing his sharpened teeth. He picked Marcus up and pulled him into a literal bone crushing hug, Marcus groaned in pain before he was put down.

"You...You speak English?" Marcus asked taking a step back.

"My Mistress taught me the language as she raised me." he said.

"You're Mistress?" Marcus asked again taking another step back and grabbing for his wand.

"Morgana." he said proudly and Marcus gasped, this Kelpie knew Morgan Le Fay?! This Kelpie was _alive_ to know Morgan Le Fay?! Nessie grinned again "My Mistress was a wise one indeed, she told me to stay in the Loch. Have you seen her?" he asked quizzically.

Marcus didn't know how to respond to that "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but...she's been dead for roughly eight hundred years." he said softly. Nessie laughed a little until he seemed to realize Marcus wasn't joking.

He dropped his smile and looked heartbroken "Dead?! Impossible, she said she would be right back. That she had people to take care of, she wouldn't leave me. You lie!" he roared.

Marcus raised his wand "S-Stay back!" he said fearful of what the monster might do.

He was not expecting the Kelpie to listen to him! Nessie backed away and then bowed "Of course Lord! Please forgive my outburst I meant no disrespect at all. I apologize! I hope you have recovered from when I picked you up in the water." he said keeping his head down as if he was ashamed.

"You are the one that saved me?!" Marcus asked trying to make sense of what was happening. Nessie nodded and smiled as if he was proud "And you...you healed me?" he asked.

"Of course! Water magic is simple and you humans have such simple bodies it was barely an effort at all!" he said with a wide grin. Marcus started to freak out, he was talking to a Kelpie! A sea _demon!_

He put his hands to his head and felt like his brain was going to explode. He started to sweat this was too much "Why...I mean...Why did you save me?! Kelpie eat humans!" Marcus said remembering what he read about in Care of Magical Creatures.

"Oh absolutely I do! Humans are very tasty!" he said and Marcus suddenly felt the urge to vomit. He was talking with a murderous creature! Only one question remained now.

"Why didn't you eat me?" he asked in a shaking voice, it was probably incredibly stupid to ask a monster why it didn't eat him but he couldn't help it. How often do you get to talk to a Kelpie?!

Nessie looked at him horrified "My Lord! I would never eat you! You are a child of my Mistress! I smelled your blood when you hit the water! Morganas blood, and with my Mistress gone I am bound to you. What would you have of me my Lord?" he asked.

Okay Marcus had had enough.

"Take me back to the castle...Just please take me back! I have to find my friend!" Marcus said on the verge of a mental break down. He put his wand away as Nessie jumped backed into the water, a few seconds later he came up as a massive serpent.

Marcus gave a frustrated whimper as he climbed onto the beasts back. Nessie raced through the water like a bird in the air and in a few seconds he was back on the shore. He touched down and then Nessie returned to his human form and joined him as he walked up the hill.

The castle was now deserted, he kept his wand out as he approached the cliff he fell off of. He saw his blood in some of the grass and next to that was the shattered Heartstring wand and a few feet away from that was his Unicorn wand. He walked over and picked it up, he looked out over the cliff and on any other day would have enjoyed the peaceful serenity of the Loch.

But right now he had to find his friend before the Knights did! He turned to Nessie "You have to do anything I say right?" he asked. Nessie nodded and Marcus sighed as he cracked his neck and then looked at the long gravel road and dense forest next to him.

"Then let's go find Nile!"

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	71. Chapter 71

"Morgana fed me every day! Usually by tricking citizens to swim into the Loch. Then I would eat them! Oh they were so skinny back then, now people are so fat and juicy!" Nessie said laughing. He had not stopped talking since they started down the road from Urquhart.

Marcus finally had enough as he talked about eating humans "You know...maybe there's a reason Kelpie don't talk!" he shouted. Nessie seemed to get the message and stopped talking as they trudged down the road. Marcus was hoping his heightened nose or ears would pick up something, Nile couldn't have gone far. Unless the Knights already found him and took him away, Marcus shuddered at the thought and a ten foot tall Kelpie that reeked of seaweed wasn't helping him.

"So tell me again about your connection to Morgan. She raised you?" Marcus asked curiously. Nessie grinned widely and nodded, he picked up a large rock and threw it across the water, it bounced at least ten times before sinking into the Loch.

"From when I was just a colt. She watched over me every day, cared for me, fed me, loved me. I repaid her by being loyal to her and her line. I would not hurt anyone that shared her blood, I promised her that. She is truly gone?" he asked and Marcus nodded. Nessie sighed "Then I am alone, humans fear me and I have driven all other Kelpie from this region in the hopes that my Lady would be proud of me. If that was all for nothing...then I have no reason to live on. I shall help you Lord but when I am done I shall swim to my death and rejoin my lady." Nessie said sadly.

Even though he was murderous and downright psychopathic Marcus couldn't help but feel pity for the monster. He was alone, centuries of being alone can warp anything into something as vicious as Nessie. He didn't know what to say to the monster, what do you say to a that? Ask him to live with you?!

Marcus forgot what they were talking about, when his nose picked up a small scent. He recognized the distinct smell of his friends shampoo, having a strong nose had its advantages sometimes. He quickly ducked into the forest with Nessie right behind him breaking branches and crunching twigs with his massive feet.

Marcus snorted before turning back to the monster "Please...can you turn into something less conspicuous?! Maybe lighter and not as loud?!" he grunted angrily. Nessie smiled and nodded before his hair wrapped around him like a cocoon and when they parted a small dog was in front of him.

It was a bulldog with a kelp collar wrapped around his neck. Marcus couldn't help but pet the dog on his head, making it rumble happily. He smiled a little before he continued through the trees, with Nessie right behind him. Soon he ran through a clearing and caught sight of someone in the distance sitting on a hill looking out into the Loch.

He recognized Niles pale complexion and messy black hair as he walked up to his best friend. He heard sniffling and heavy breathing, Nile was crying. He stayed quiet as Nile sobbed "I should have stayed...I should have helped! I'm sorry Marcus! Oh god I'm so sorry!" he said as tears streamed down his cheeks.

Marcus held in a small laugh "Apology accepted." he said loudly. Nile froze and turned around, Marcus expected a tearful hug.

He was _not_ expecting Nile to punch him in the eye. Marcus hit the ground hard "You put me through that?! What is wrong with you!?" he shouted angrily. Only to be lifted in the air by Nessie, who had reverted back to human form.

"No one touches my Lord! I shall tear you limb from limb!" Nessie cried angrily. Nile whimpered and flailed wildly at the menacing creature staring at him. Marcus quickly got to his feet and ran over to Nessie who looked like he was ready to throw Nile across the Loch.

"Stop! Put him down! He's my friend!" Marcus shouted. Nessie did not hesitate to gently place Nile on the ground and dusted off some rock and dust on his coat.

"So sorry! I did not realize you were the one my Lord is looking for. I apologize." he said before lowering his head and taking a step back. Nile looked like he was about to freak out and Marcus couldn't blame him. He was close to cracking completely over this whole situation he had gotten him and his friend into.

Nile immediately backed away in fear from the monstrous man apologizing profusely. He looked at Marcus and he quickly explained the situation, Nile didn't look any less scared after that. Who wouldn't be scared? This is the biggest Kelpie ever recorded and he's dangerous.

Marcus quickly pulled Nile into a hug "I thought you were a goner!" he said happily. Nile punched him in the gut and he groaned in pain.

"Likewise, how did you live?! I had just made it to the shore when I saw Cassius stab you and you fell into the water. You didn't surface so I kept running and running trying to stay hidden. The Knights are patrolling the entire Loch, I can't get back to the castle without getting caught. What do we do!?" he asked worried.

As soon as he said that they heard a roar in the distance, Marcus saw one of the biggest dragons he had ever seen. It's pale almost white scales glinted in the moonlight.

It was a Ukrainian Ironbelly!

He noticed the silhouette of someone on the back of the massive dragon. Someone was riding the dragon and directing it, Cassius had mentioned how the Knights had domesticated dragons. That meant they could ride them? Can _he_ ride dragons?!

The Ironbelly landed on the rocky shore below them. They trio all ducked and peered over at the scene that was unfolding below them. The man, Cassius, slid off of the massive dragons and started speaking to five wizards that apparated in front of him.

"Where is he?!" Cassius roared, the men started all talking at once and Cassius drew his sword and stabbed the nearest man in the stomach. The man dropped to his knees as Cassius twisted the blade and the man fell to the ground, dead.

He glared at the rest of them "It appears we are down one council member, we shall fix that at a later time but right now find me the Grudge boy or face the same fate as him!" he said pointing to the dead man in the sand. Cassius climbed back on his dragon "Return to the castle and wait for them! They landed there so they must be nearby! Keep your dragons close! Dismissed!" he shouted before he flew off on his Ironbelly and out of sight.

The men all apparated back to the castle and Marcus groaned, he wished he was a year older so he could just apparate back to the school and face the consequences of leaving after curfew. Unfortunately he wasn't and he now has to face off against four powerful wizards each with a dragon at their command. What did he have?! A water demon and his friend.

A water demon and his friend?

He had...a water demon...and his friend with him.

He turned to Nessie and Nile behind him with a grin.

"I have a plan!"

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	72. Chapter 72

Marcus quickly ran through the forest with his wand out, he needed to really concentrate on each target so he was using his Unicorn wand only. He turned into a wolf and ran through the tress staying low, he looked over and saw Nile walking up to the group of Knights. It was the four Cassius had been yelling at and they looked like they meant business.

Each of them had a small dragon with them, two of them were Welsh Greens around fifteen feet long. The other two were Vipertooths of the same length, Marcus remembered the last time he had to deal with a Vipertooth and that was when his mind recalled what happened in the forest with the dragons. How they had said that nearly all dragons knew of him, how he was kind to dragons.

Nile walked up to them and they all immediately raised their wands but Nile raised his hand to show he was unarmed. He walked closer "I am surrendering myself to you. Please do not hurt me." he shouted loudly. Marcus rolled his eyes, he was a terrible actor but it was working, he slowly crept towards the ruins while Nile kept their attention.

He just hoped everything went according to plan, he slowly crept behind the ruins and turned back into his normal form. The dragons were just a few feet away and Nile was talking to wizards explaining his terms of surrender.

"Psst hey!" Marcus whispered harshly to the dragons making sure to keep a low voice. The dragons all turned their attention to Marcus and bared their teeth however they said nothing. Probably wondering why he was speaking to them, maybe these dragons were just as abused as the Vipertooths were his first year at Hogwarts.

That meant he could talk to them, he could free them from the tyranny of the Knights like he did the Vipertooths. The dragons looked at him confused "Listen, I can help you! If you help me, then I'll help you! Just fight against those men that abuse and torture you." he said.

The dragons remained silent until one Vipertooth leaned forward, his head barely six inches from his.

"We love what we do...for the Warm Bloods! Masters! Here! One is here!" he shouted loudly. All of the wizards of the Dragon Council turned at the yelling, only for Nile to grab the nearest one by the throat. He lifted him up with one hand and Marcus once again was in shock at the Kelpies strength. Nessie made a perfect Nile the only difference, that only someone who knew Nile would catch, was that his eyes were kelp green instead of brown.

Nessie threw the wizard across the field and he crashed in front of the dragons, the wizards all drew their wands and prepared to attack. That was when Nile, on a broom, flew by in the shadows and disarmed as many as he could. During the scramble of confusion Marcus blasted one of the wizards in the chest with the Body Bind Curse and he fell to the ground in a heap.

The council member that was thrown got to his feet and drew his wand but Nessie roared in anger and charged him. All of the dragons suddenly shrieked loudly at the approaching Kelpie "Water beast! Demon of the sea! Retreat!" the dragons all screamed before taking flight. The wizard was tackled by Nessie and together they fell over the cliff and into the Loch, no doubt Nessie was about to have a feast.

The two remaining wizards found their wands and aimed them at Marcus, only for Nile to come down on his broom and slam into one of them. Marcus then quickly fired the Stunning spell at the second wizard but he blocked. He fired back and Marcus blocked, they remained in a stalemate for some time while Nile and the other wizard were locked in a fistfight. Nile was quite the fighter at hand to hand.

Finally Marcus thought he'd take Nile and Nessies tactics, he lowered his wand and charged the man. He fired a spell but Marcus was quick enough to dodge it, he tackled the man and together they tumbled down the hill towards the shore. Along the way Marcus lost his wand but so did the wizard, they hit the rocks and Marcus winced as he palms scraped against the hard surface.

He was just starting to get up when the scraped and bloody man grabbed Marcus and threw him across the shore. Marcus grunted as he rolled across the sharp rocks, he regretted this plan so much, he wasn't much of a puncher he was a thinker! A planner!

The man walked over and turned Marcus over only to punch him in the cheek. He planted his foot on his arm as he continued to beat the teenager "Cassius said if you were alive to finish you off!" he said with another punch. Marcus tried to fight back but every hit seemed to rip his energy away, he coughed up some blood into the water and the man grabbed his bloodied and bruised cheeks and made him look him in the eye.

"I want you to look at me...when I kill you!" he said with a grin, he then punched Marcus in the nose, breaking it and slamming his head into the rocks. The man punched Marcus one more time as hard as he could and Marcus nearly passed out right there. He was seeing double and random bits of his vision was spinning, the man grinned "I'd say any last words but I really don't care!" he said laughing.

He didn't noticed the water shifting, or the very large shadow rising from the water. The wizard grabbed a particularly large rock and raised it over his head, then the rock was lifted higher out of his hands and thrown into the Loch. The man took short rapid breaths now as he realized what was behind him, he merely closed his eyes and whimpered slightly.

Then the massive jaws of the Kelpie closed around the wizards waist, he screamed in pain as Nessie dragged him in the Loch and out of sight. Marcus sighed, looks like if his blood touches the water its a cry for help to Nessie. Soon the water shifted and Nessie walked out in his human form, he was grinning revealing his bloody teeth "Thank you for the snack my Lord! He was mighty tasty!" he said patting his stomach.

Marcus barely had the energy to nod and Nessie noticed "Oh I am sorry Lord! Allow me!" he said cupped some water into his hands and washed away the blood covering his face. As the monster tended to his wounds they heard footsteps crunching on the rocks. Marcus turned his head slightly to see Nile running up to them, a cut on his cheek but other than that he looked fine.

He saw Marcus and took off in a sprint to his friend "Are you okay Marky?!" he asked frantically as he took out his wand and helped heal his wounds.

Marcus gave a small chuckle "Great night huh? I nearly get us killed and I've inherited a murderous monster. All in less than twelve hours." he said grinning hysterically. Marcus felt like his brain was going to snap in two so much had happened in such a short amount of time. He could be sleeping in his dorm right now but instead he is fighting for his life.

He slowly got to his feet and Nile reached into his pocket "Found this on the way down. Thought you might want it back." he said handing him his wand. Marcus took it with a grateful smile as Nessie helped him to his feet.

"Well, well, well! It was always rumored that Morgan had a pet! I had no idea what though!" a voice behind them said. They all looked behind them and twenty feet away was Cassius surrounded by about twenty hooded wizards. Cassius looked incredibly angry, his left eye was still bleeding from when Niles stabbed him earlier.

"You just seem to keep popping up even when I kill you don't you boy!" Cassius said with annoyance in his tone. Marcus could hear Nessie crack his knuckles, apparently he didn't like it when people insulted his master.

"How dare you! You attacked my Lord!? I shall have you in pieces!" Nessie said starting towards Cassius. The older man quickly whipped out his sword and sliced open his palm letting his blood drip into the grass. Nessie stopped dead in his tracks and sniffed the air "You...You are also a child of my Mistress?" he asked and Cassius grinned as he nodded.

Nessie seemed conflicted as he looked back and forth between Marcus and Cassius "I...I am at your command then. What would you have of me Child of Le Fay?" he asked as he bowed in front of Cassius. the mans grin was nothing short of evil as he pointed towards Nile.

"Bring me the boy."

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	73. Chapter 73

Marcus was powerless as Nessie walked over and grabbed Nile and walked back to Cassius. Marcus tried to reason with the Kelpie "Let him go! I am your Lord remember?! Let my friend go!" he shouted. Nessie began to lower Nile but Cassius laughed loudly.

"Bring him here creature! I command you!" he said and Nessie nodded before picking Nile up again and then planting him right next to Cassius. A wizard waved his wand and Nile was on his knees with his hands behind his back. Cassius laughed as Nessie stood next to him with his head down clearly unsure of what to do now that two blood relatives of Le Fay were in play.

Cassius grinned and lifted his sword that was dripping with his own blood and pointed it at Marcus. He was alone, his friend was captured and the Kelpie refused to fight either of them because he swore never to harm...a child...of Le Fay!

"Nessie? Kill everyone except Nile and Cassius." Marcus shouted loudly. Nessie grinned happily and started towards the now terrified men but Cassius raised his hand.

"Enough! Do not harm my men you filthy creature! Kill Marcus!" he shouted and Nessie looked at Marcus nervously. He was stuttering clearly unsure of how to proceed with the order that was given to him.

"I...I cannot! I will never harm a Child of Le Fay!" he said cowering before my grandfather. Cassius stomped over and slapped Nessie across the face making them both wince as his hand was still cut and seaweed had gotten into it.

"You will do as I say! He is not a true Child of Le Fay! He does not follow in her footsteps! He is a disgrace! Kill him for me and I shall make sure muggles swim in the Loch and you can have a feast for years and years!" Cassius promised glaring at the Kelpie.

Nessie whimpered like a child but nodded as he started towards Marcus. He could see the look of regret and fear in his eyes as he towered over the teenager. Marcus was out of options, looks like he had no choice now.

Time to adopt a Kelpie!

"Nessie...He's using you to fulfill his wishes. He doesn't care about you he only cares about what you can do to his enemies! You told me yourself that Morgan cared for you, loved you, and fed you. Do you really believe that Cassius will do any of that?" he said weakly. Nessie stopped moving and cocked his head as if he was speaking a foreign language.

Marcus gulped hard "I...I can give you the love that you want. I can visit you, talk to you, care for you. I can give you food and make sure no one ever harms you again!" he said frantically, a ten foot tall creature with super strength was about to tear him apart he had to think fast.

Nessie blinked and lowered his hands "You idiotic excuse for a monster! KILL HIM!" Cassius screamed in rage. Nessie flinched as the man shouted "Kill him and I can promise you a feast within a day!" he announced. That was when Marcus realized that Nessie was practically a child, appeal to what he's feeling now and he'll listen. And right now Nessie was hungry!

"Wait boy! If you turn against Cassius...you can eat his men...right now!" he shouted and Cassius paled. Nessie grinned and licked his lips, then he turned around to face down Cassius. Most of the Knights immediately apparated out of there but a good amount stayed and drew their wands.

Nessie roared and the Loch exploded, a massive torrent of water shot forward, dousing Marcus but leaving him unharmed. Cassius gasped before grabbing Nile and jumping out of the way, the water shot past him and crashed into the Knights.

Nessie then leaped into the chaos and attacked the men who were screaming for their lives. Marcus caught Cassius running up the hill dragging Nile with him. He drew his Heartstring wand and ran after his grandfather.

He left the Kelpie to deal with the Knights and Marcus turned into a wolf and chased down the old man. Cassius turned just in time to get clawed across the chest "Argh! What in the name of Merlin?!" he shouted before Marcus turned back to his regular form. Cassius grinned "Well, it appears I have underestimated your strength son. An animagus is quite the feat, I will truly enjoy killing you!" he said throwing Nile to the side and drawing his sword.

Marcus and Cassius then dueled once more, with Marcus firing and Cassius easily blocking each spell with the enchanted sword. Cassius started to back Marcus up again towards the cliff but this time he anticipated it, Cassius tried to ricochet the spell again but Marcus dropped to the ground and fired at the mans legs. It struck him and Cassius grunted before falling to the ground losing his grip on the sword.

He raised his wand but Cassius grabbed his arm and they wrestled for the wand. His grandfather was much stronger than he thought, the man grit his teeth and ripped the wand out of his hand. He aimed it at Marcus who began to raise his hands, only to wrap them around his Unicorn wand and disarm Cassius in an instant.

Cassius held his hands up in surrender as Marcus held his wand to him to make sure he didn't try anything. As Marcus walked over to get his other wand he momentarily looked away to grab it.

A moment was all Cassius needed.

He snapped his fingers and the sword flew into his hand. He raised it the sword over his head and Marcus froze as the man brought the blade down. Everything happened so fast that he wasn't sure how to react, he heard a shout and then he felt a pair of hands on his back and he was thrown forward.

Marcus looked back and saw the blade pierced Niles in the shoulder. He was shaking and trying to breath, Cassius ripped the sword out and Nile fell to the ground shaking and convulsing as blood poured from his wound.

 _"STUPEFY!"_ a voice shouted from the trees, Cassius turned and was blasted in the chest. He tripped over his feet and fell over the cliff, Marcus heard him scream and looked over but he was gone. Was he dead? Did he get away? Marcus had no idea but the only thing that mattered was helping his friend.

He heard footsteps behind and turned to find a fairly pretty girl running up to him, her hair was a startling purple and bright pink. She ran over "Dine what are you doing here?!" she asked worriedly. Marcus shook his head how did she know who he was?! She helped heal Nile but he was still in a state of shock "Dumbledore sent me, he filled me on on the situation but you were not supposed to be here!" she shouted.

Marcus gulped, he forgot that Dumbledore said he was going to send someone, oh he was so going to get chewed out for this. Suddenly Nessie raced up to him, he was covered in blood but he looked happier than ever. He saw the girl and growled but Marcus intervened "She's a friend boy, it's okay." he said and Nessie immediately stopped and stood behind Marcus.

The girl was staring at the Kelpie in shock before she went back to healing Nile "He needs more experienced hands, we need to get him to Pomfrey as soon as possible!" she said and picked Nile up. She was much stronger than she looked.

"Wait!" Marcus shouted and the girl stopped as Marcus looked at Nessie. The large creature looked nervous "Go back in the Loch boy, I'll be back in a few days to check up on you but I want you to listen to me. No more eating innocent humans that swim in the Loch! You like fish right?" Marcus said and Nessie nodded with a smile.

"Then only eat fish okay boy? If you keep eating people then they will always fear you. Don't worry...I'm not going to abandon you. Just be careful okay boy?" he said softly. The Kelpie gave a large grin before nodding then he ran to the cliff and jumped off into the pitch black water.

The girl looked almost as in shock as Nile was before she grabbed his arm "We have to go now!" she said and Marcus nodded. She apparated and soon they were standing in the courtyard of the castle "Come on lets get him some help." she said.

"Who are you?" Marcus found himself asking as they ran through the halls. The girl looked at him and gave him a sly grin.

"Tonks"

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	74. Chapter 74

"I...am so...dead!" Marcus said as he hyperventilated, Nile was in the hospital bed and was unconscious. His shoulder had a tear in it from the sword, it looked as if he was made of paper and someone trip to rip him to pieces but they couldn't and they only ripped the shoulder. A very nasty amount of stitches covered his shoulder and Marcus knew it was going to leave a horribly noticeable scar.

And it was _his_ fault!

Marcus felt tears building up and a hand fell on his shoulder he looked back and Tonks sat down next to him. She hadn't said a word this whole time "We have to tell Dumbledore." was all she said. Marcus felt like crying again but he nodded and they quickly made their way up to the office. Marcus was terrified, he went against a direct order from both his Headmaster and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix.

When they walked through the door, Dumbledore was pacing and was mumbling to himself. No one even had to say anything because the bruises and cuts on his face told Dumbledore everything. He glared at Marcus who gulped hard at the mans hardened gaze, ten minutes passed and nothing had been said the only noise in the room was the purring sound coming from Fawkes.

Finally Marcus couldn't take it anymore "Professor...I..." he didn't finish.

"You do not get to speak Marcus! I told you not to go and you completely disregarded my orders and even went against school rules! You are lucky the only thing you got out of this was a few cuts and bruises! Mr. Grudge was not so lucky! You are a child Mr. Dine! That was no place for a child!" he roared and Marcus kept his head down and only nodded.

"Come on Albus! He did what he thought was right and you weren't there I was. You should have seen this kid! Fighting like four guys at a time! Driving away a pack of dragons! Controlling a Kelpie! This kid is one hell of an asset! If you don't think he's ready for the big leagues because he's just a kid may I remind you that a kid took out the Dark Lord?" Tonks said with her hair changing from pink to fiery red.

Dumbledore dropped his glare as Tonks relayed everything that happened at Castle Urquhart. Dumbledore listened intently asking the occasional question, after Tonks finished explaining he was in a state of shock. He looked at Marcus "The Loch Ness Monster? You adopted him?" he asked incredulously and Marcus nodded sheepishly.

"Kind of had to because if I didn't he was going to kill me. I promised that I'd check up on him in a few days and told him not to eat anymore humans." he explained. Dumbledores eyebrows shot up as Marcus told him this, he opened his mouth but no words came out it actually was speechless.

"Well...I suppose it worked out for the better, and with you getting there before Nymphadora..." he started.

"Don't. Call. Me. That!" she barked angrily.

"We learned some valuable information. We now know what the Knights are planning, they hope to revive Morgan Le Fay and continue to purge the world of muggles." Dumbledore finished ignoring the irritated woman in front of him.

Marcus nodded "They still got away though, Cassius escaped." he said. Dumbledore nodded in agreement and pondered over this for a while and muttered a few thing sunder his breath.

Finally Dumbledore lifted his head up "This is what is going to happen, the Dark Lord is rising and that requires attention but we are being flanked. While Lord Voldemort rises, so does Morgan Le Fay. Neither would let the other rule and both would be devastating to us and the muggles. What we need is someone focusing on Morgan and another focusing on Voldemort. Marcus? I want you to lead the fight against Le Fay I know you have the strength. The entire Order is at your back but please keep this from others, especially Harry he has too much to deal with right now." Dumbledore explained.

Marcus nodded with a grin, he wasn't a fan of Harry but he was too happy over the fact that he wasn't going to get in trouble for going against Dumbledore. He dismissed him and Marcus left with Tonks, as they started down he glanced at the girl "Thanks for vouching for me. I owe you one." he said softly.

She gave him a wink "Don't mention it kid. Just keep getting in trouble and you just may win my heart I was a bit of a troublemaker too." she said with a near flirtatious tone. Marcus figured better he say something now in case she was serious.

"I have a boyfriend." he said slowly hoping he didn't just ruin a friendship that never even had the chance to begin. Tonks burst out laughing and Marcus couldn't suppress a smile, she was just screwing with him she meant nothing by it. He put his hands over his face "Shut uuuuup!" he said as he blushed a deep red.

"Awwww you really are just a kid! Don't worry Marcus, I'll keep it strictly professional!" she said as they continued laughing together. They made their way down back to the hospital where Nile was just starting to wake.

Nile groaned in pain and grabbed his shoulder "What happened?" he moaned out. He lowered his shirt and looked at his stitches "Oh yeah...I took a sword to the shoulder. Remind me not to do that again, make not of this: I am not to go near madmen with swords. You got that down?" Nile joked and Marcus chuckled.

"Noted. How you feeling?" he asked and Nile shrugged which made him wince a little.

"Been better but I'll live." he said with a grin, Marcus looped his arm around his shoulder and helped him to his feet. Marcus helped him walk and Nile stared at him "Man, what part of me is injured?" he asked blatantly.

Marcus blushed and let go of Nile "Your shoulder." he said quietly.

"Bingo! I can walk dude, come on lets get some sleep it's been a long night." he said with a grin as they walked towards their common rooms. They got near the kitchens and Marcus waved goodbye to his friend. He quickly made his way in and up to his dormitory where he changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed.

He was in the bed for maybe five seconds before he heard someone walking towards him. He cracked his eyes open and saw Cedric staring down at him holding the golden egg he won earlier that day.

"Hey Marcus I don't know where you've been and I won't ask but I need a favor from you. Can you help me figure out how to decipher this thing?" he asked holding out the egg. Marcus was so tired, he just wanted to sleep but he sighed and threw his blanket off.

"Yeah sure."

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	75. Chapter 75

**A Few Months Later.**

"What about some kind of stunning spell?" Marcus asked, he and Cedric had been trying to crack the puzzle of the egg for months but they couldn't figure it out. Cedric looked at him confused, his hair was a rats nest and his eyes were bloodshot from late nights trying to figure out the egg.

"You mean like cast the stun on the egg to stop the shrieking?" he asked and Marcus nodded. Cedric drew his wand and Marcus grabbed the egg "Three...Two...One!" he shouted and MArcus unlocked it. Immediately they were hit with the horrific shrieking the egg let out whenever it was opened.

Marcus just thanked every higher power out there that they were outside, if they were in the castle someone might think someone was being murdered. Cedric fired a spell but it did nothing to stop the noise, Marcus clutched his ears in pain before shutting it.

"Well that didn't work. Any other ideas?" Cedric asked and Marcus shook his head.

"Diggory!" a voice shouted, they both looked up and saw Moody walking towards him. He took a quick swig of his flask and Marcus was once more taken back by horrible and overwhelming stench that protruded from it. It had to be alcohol, being an Auror can traumatize you so much that you have to find something to cope.

Cedric walked over holding the egg and Moody whispered something in his ear and he nodded. Moody started walking away, he looked back and stared at Marcus for a few seconds before he continued walking and left their sight.

Cedric walked back looking perplexed "Hey you want to join me in the Prefects Bathroom tonight?" he asked out of nowhere. Marcus blushed brightly, I mean sure there was a reason why Cedric was called Pretty Boy but what was he asking?! He seemed to realize what he said and blushed too "Sorry, bad choice of words! I meant I need to check something in the bathroom and I could use your help. It has to do with the egg." he said and Marcus sighed in relief.

"Sure, see you tonight." he said before heading up to the castle with his friend.

 **That Night.**

Marcus walked into the Common Room and caught a bunch of Hufflepuffs looking over a map. It looked like a sketch of the castle "Okay if we set traps here then the Gryffindor Quidditch Team should walk right under and get doused." one said and Marcus sighed internally, he had caused this! He caused a freaking war in the school when he punched Harry after the Dragon Trial!

He ignored them and quickly ducked out of the room, he made his way up the tower and walked up to the Prefects Bathroom. Being the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain gave him the privilege of entering the bathroom just like the Prefects.

He walked in and saw Cedric pacing the massive bath that he had already filled up. When he saw Marcus he smiled "Hey was worried you weren't coming! Come on! So Moody told me to put it in the water, let's see what happens." he said as he knelt down next to the water and Marcus joined him.

Cedric placed the egg into the water and opened it, there was no shrieking in fact there was a very muffled melody playing under the water. They looked at each other before they both put their heads in the water and listened to the beautiful yet haunting song that was playing.

When it ended the boys pulled their heads out of the water and shut the egg. Cedric took a deep breath from holding it for so long "So what do you think?" Cedric said curiously.

"Come seek us where our voices sound. So this creature can sing, most likely they sound like that. We cannot sing above the ground. I don't know maybe they are under the ground?" Marcus suggested.

"Or underwater! We had to place the egg in the water to hear it!" Cedric exclaimed. Marcus snapped his fingers and nodded, so the next challenge was underwater that was progress.

"And while you're searching ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss. So whatever it is they have something that you need to find that's fairly easy to figure out. What was the next line?" Marcus said.

"An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took. Again easy because that means I have an hour to search for whatever it is they took." Cedric stated and Marcus nodded in agreement.

"That last bit though. But past an hour the prospects black too late it's gone it won't come back. Does that mean if you fail you lose whatever it is they took?" Marcus asked and Cedric nodded and then took a deep breath.

After a few minutes of thinking Marcus racked his brain trying to think the song through. As he sat there he noticed the bubbles in the bathtub popping, how long had they been sitting there? An hour? Two? He lost track of time.

Finally Cedric gasped and smacked himself "How could I be so stupid! It's right in front of me! It's mermaids! The song of mermaids, the next task is retrieving something from mermaids!" he said loudly. Marcus shot his eyebrows up in realization he was right, the task was mermaids!

"And the last line...the prospects...Black?" Cedric said with a knowing grin. Marcus chuckled as he realized what he was talking about, the line was also the location.

"The Black Lake!" they both said.

Suddenly the door opened and Nile ran in looking paler than usual. He ran to the nearest sink and vomited, Marcus and Cedric got up and ran to their friend. Nile looked completely out of it as he groaned and retched into the sink.

When he was done he just fell to the ground screaming, Marcus and Cedric had no idea what to do! Nile suddenly grabbed his injured soldier and screamed even louder. Marcus grabbed Nile by his shirt and lowered it and then he gasped in fright.

The veins surrounding the stitches were bright orange like fire! The stitches were glowing brightly as if they were on fire as well. Cedric gasped and pulled Marcus away "Stay back Marcus!" he said fearfully as Nile continued to scream in pain.

"What's wrong with him?!" Marcus asked worried for his friend.

"The Dragon Plague! Otherwise known as Fire Veins. It's some old ancient virus that completely wiped out entire nations. Those are the symptoms!" Cedric said. Marcus started freaking out as Nile passed out and laid motionless on the ground.

"Well what's the cure?! Cedric how do we cure him?!" Marcus asked almost in total hysterics now as he made sure Nile was still breathing. Cedric looked near heartbroken "Cedric?! How do you cure it?!" Marcus shouted again and Cedric choked back a sob.

"There isn't one."

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	76. Chapter 76

"I can't do it!" Sam said loudly, he looked utterly miserable as he moaned. Marcus and Dan were looking at him in worry, the Yule Ball was that night and Sam had been trying to work up the courage to ask Anna to it but he kept chickening out.

"Come on buddy! Just ask her! It's not like she will say no. She's way too kind for that, just ask her." Dan said and Marcus nodded but he wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. He was thinking about Nile in the hospital, he was in and out of consciousness and every time he was awake he was screaming in agony.

There was only one thing that could have infected him with an ancient disease. The sword that Cassius used to stab him, there was more to it than Marcus thought and it cost his friend greatly. He was overwhelmed with guilt because it was because of him that Nile went, it was because of him that he got stabbed, it was because of him that he was infected with a vicious disease that was slowly killing him.

"Mark? You listening?" Dan asked bumping his shoulder, he looked over and gave a smile.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asked moving closer to his boyfriend. Dan started talking about what they should do when Anna walked in and sat down next to them. Sam looked incredibly nervous and he looked at his friends for support who both nodded and gestured for him to continue.

"Umm Anna?" he asked and the girl turned to look at him. Sam gulped hard and started sweating "Think...maybe...I mean...the dance...us?" he asked nervously. She grinned widely and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"Sure! I'd love to go with you!" she said happily "Don't be late!" and with that she ran off. Marcus noticed her running to meet her girlfriends and she spoke to them and they squealed in delight before running off. Marcus smiled looks like Sams feelings aren't exactly one sided.

Sam looked happier than I had ever seen him, he was beaming and laughing uncontrollably at his luck. Dan grinned before kissing Marcus on the cheek "You better not be late either." he said jokingly. Marcus chuckled before nodding.

"See you tonight!"

 **That Night.**

"You guys ready?" Cedric asked as he walked in, Marcus and Sam nodded wearing their dress robes. They walked out and Sam ran over to the girls dorm and knocked, Anna opened it wearing a beautiful red dress and Sam looked awestruck. Anna seemed to get a little self conscious until Cedric stepped in "You look great! Let's go!" he said and steered them all out of the Common Room.

Next they made their way down the dungeons to the Slytherin Common Room where Dan was waiting wearing his dress robes. He smiled and kissed Marcus and they locked arms before making their way up. When they reached the Great Hall Cho Chang was waiting for them and Cedric grinned before kissing her.

Mcgonagall quickly ran over and explained how Cedric and Cho were going to dance first as was tradition. They nodded and entered the room, then the others made their way in and waited for the dance to start. As they sat down, waiting for the champions to arrive, they started talking "How's Nile doing?" Anna asked.

"He's not getting any better but he isn't getting worse, that's something I suppose." Marcus said sadly. Dan comforted him as he tried hard not to cry, no doubt Nile would have been planning a prank or something for the dance he was the Weasley twins best customer.

"Well Cedric said that it is an ancient disease right? How did they get rid of it the first time?" Sam asked curiously, a little hope sparked in his friends eyes but Marcus had to be honest.

"They didn't get rid of it, the virus ravaged countless nations until everything died, even the virus in the end. It eradicated itself but left horrible devastation." Marcus explained. Professor Binns had told him about the plague in great detail as if he was there, he may have been or maybe he was just tired it was always hard to tell with the ghostly teacher.

Dan whistled in exclamation "Well wait, vaccines for diseases are made usually using a small amount of the disease. If we can figure out what caused the disease then maybe we can develop a vaccine. We could save Nile!" he said confidently. His friends all cheered and Marcus didn't have the heart to tell them that it was a sword not something that can be turned into a vaccine.

Suddenly everyone started standing and they did too as the champions walked in and started the first dance. Soon Dumbledore and Mcgonagall started dancing as well and few other students joined in. Marcus and his friends all grabbed their partners and danced to the music.

After a little while it went from formal dancing to more like a concert with a band and fans shouting. Marcus didn't care for it and made his way out of the hall and into the cold winter night. He stared at the stars through the clouds and hoped that Nile would soon get better.

"Hey." a voice said behind him. He turned and found Anna standing next to him, he smiled and gave her a small wave. She walked next to him and looked up at the sky with him "Thinking about Nile?" she asked. Marcus looked at her astonished but she chuckled "We dated for over a year, I know you Mark. I also know that you think it's your fault that Nile got hurt. I don't know how it happened but I can assure you it wasn't, Mark you would die before anyone of us got hurt as long as you have something to do about it." she explained.

Marcus smiled a little more and chuckled softly "Psychic." he jokingly and she grinned.

"Nope, just observant. Listen, I know you think that nothing can be done for Nile but are you going to give up?" she asked and Marcus shook his head. She smiled again "Then there's hope, just don't give up and we can figure this out. Together." she said happily.

Marcus felt a tear fall down his cheek before he pulled her into a hug, they swayed slightly to the faint music in the distance. Marcus didn't care that it was cold, he and Anna slowly danced in the snow laughing and joking. Finally Anna pulled him into another hug and he returned it.

"We'll figure this out." he said softly.

"Together."

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	77. Chapter 77

"You ready Diggory?" Marcus asked as they climbed into the boats towards the large piers where the second trial was to be held. Cedric looked nervous but nodded, Marcus and Sam were with him for support while Dan and Anna stayed back to care for Nile. They took watching him and spending time with him in shifts so he didn't have to fight alone.

Sam was looking into the dark and murky water as they rode the boat "So...mermaids? In the Black Lake?" he asked warily. Cedric nodded and Sam backed away from the edge of the boat and stayed in the center the rest of the trip.

They climbed out and Cedric pulled off his coat and put on his swim shirt "You can do this man! You mastered that Bubble charm you can do it!" Marcus said patting him on the back. He nodded and cracked his back and neck in anticipation for the round to start.

Harry Potter walked next to them and Marcus gave him a glare before going back to hyping his friend up. As he was talking he smelled something strange, his heightened nose was always picking up random smells whether he wanted to or not but this one was weird. It smelled of the sea but it also had a distinct sweet aroma, he looked over and saw Harry had some disgusting looking green substance in his hand.

Moody was behind Harry and he whispered something to him and then he quickly shoved the substance in his mouth. Marcus almost gagged, no way that thing could have tasted in good judging by the face Harry made. Then the cannon sounded and Marcus cheered with the rest of his house as Cedric dove into the water and vanished from sight.

Harry practically collapsed into the water like a rock, he looked at Moody who just gave him a vicious scowl before he walked away. After a few seconds Harry leaped out of the water like a dolphin before shooting back into the lake. Marcus was pretty impressed by that, he had no idea what Harry took but man was it cool!

"Think Cedric will make it in time?" Sam asked curiously as the lake became still.

Marcus nodded "If anyone can do this challenge, it's Cedric!" he said with a grin. He heard a throat clear behind him and he turned to see a bunch of Gryffindors including Seamus and Dean glaring at him. Marcus rolled his eyes, he had this coming for a while ever since he punched Harry.

"Harry is gonna destroy Cedric!" Seamus said with a smug grin.

Marcus rolled his eyes again and turned away from them "Cool whatever you say dude." he said as he looked out into the lake. He wondered how Nessie was doing, he had to go check on him soon or he would get lonely and restless.

"Typical Hufflepuff, shying away from a fight." Seamus said and something in Marcus snapped. He turned around and his fist connected with the Gryffindors jaw, Seamus went down and the students all started fighting again making the pier rock.

"Think we're scared of fighting Finnegan?! Think I'm afraid to kick your ass just because I'm in Hufflepuff?!" Marcus shouted as Seamus started to get up and he punched him again. Teachers had rushed down and tried to stop the two houses from tearing each other apart but to no avail.

Dean tried to pull Marcus off of Seamus but he brought his elbow back and nailed Dean in the gut. Finally Sam was able to pry Marcus and Seamus from each other, Seamus had a bloody nose and Marcus was breathing heavily.

"Guys come on we shouldn't fight! Anna always says better to talk than fight." Sam said and Seamus frowned.

"Anna Trace?" he asked and Sam nodded confused. Seamus laughed "Figures my girlfriend would say stuff like that." he said directed at Sam almost like he knew Sam was into her. Sam lowered his hands and stared at him for a good five seconds before he tackled him and they both went off the pier.

Marcus figured Sam can handle the guy, he's in a rage so best to let him beat Seamus to a pulp. Marcus grinned before he turned around to come face to face with Dumbledore, he gave a weak smile before he put his wand to his throat.

"SILENCE!" he roared and everyone clutched their ears in pain. With his heightened hearing it was almost deafening to Marcus and he was pretty sure Dumbledore knew that. He lowered his wand "No more fighting! This competition is about coming closer together not fighting over who is better! Resolve this now!" he shouted.

Marcus sighed and heard splashing, Sam and Seamus had surfaced. He walked over and held out his hands, he hauled them both onto the pier "Well, I got my anger out. Ready to put this behind us?" Marcus asked the two students. They both nodded as they gasped for air and then another splash was heard.

Marcus looked up to see Fleur swimming over, he walked up and helped her onto the pier before going back to help heal Seamus's cuts. As the bleeding stopped Marcus blushed in embarrassment "Sorry about that man, kind of lost it." he said and Seamus chuckled as he held a towel to his nose.

"Kind of? I gotta say though man, you pack a punch. I was not expecting that." he said with a grin. Marcus chuckled too and then saw Sam looking at Seamus with pure hatred and he quickly signaled him to not do anything. Sam sighed in annoyance but nodded and walked away, he was going to have to deal with Sam later about the whole Seamus and Anna dating thing.

The water broke and Cedric surfaced with Cho Chang clinging to him. What was Cho doing in the lake?! Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Cho at all that day and Cedric mentioned that Moody asked for her the night before. The things that the mermaids took were people?! Oh that's not good especially for Fleur if she was forced to retire.

Marcus ran over and helped his friends out of the water and then he pulled Cedric into a hug. He was laughing now "You did it buddy! You're in first! I can't believe it!" he shouted and Cedric nodded before kissing Cho. The water broke again and Krum surfaced with Hermione, there was only a few minutes left of the trial.

Where was Harry?

The clock was about to end the hour and people were starting to worry that Harry wasn't back yet. Suddenly the bell tolled and two people surfaced, Ron and Fleurs sister but no sign of Harry. Everyone scanned the water but saw no indication of Harry coming out. Cedric sighed and lowered his head before Harry shot out of the water like a bullet and landed on the pier.

Marcus jumped back in shock as Harry coughed up water and was helped up. Dumbledore ran down and held his wand to his throat, Marcus whimpered and quickly covered his ears.

"In first place: Cedric Diggory! And for outstanding moral fiber we are awarding Harry Potter second place!" he announced and everyone cheered. Well, all of the Hogwarts students cheered while the other schools looked either annoyed or bored.

Marcus led Cedric and Sam back to the boats "You're gonna win this thing Cedric!" Sam said happily. Marcus nodded and Cedric looked proud of himself, he wasn't one to brag he was always one to just accept things the way they were.

"Come on I'm buying you a Butterbeer!" Marcus said and Cedric grinned before nodding. They reached the dock and hopped off, he threw his arm around his friends shoulders and smiled.

He was ready to help Cedric, with the third challenge, with figuring out what happened to Nile, he was ready to help.

Any way he could!

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	78. Chapter 78

"DIGGORY! DIGGORY! DIGGORY!" the crowd shouted as Cedric walked out of the opening and everyone cheered. Marcus grinned as he stood next to Sprout, he was tasked with patrolling the maze with the other teachers so he got to see Cedric off. Marcus had also painted half his face yellow in support for Cedric since he was having doubts about the final task.

All of the champions walked out and because Harry and Cedric were tied for first they got to go in first. Dumbledore pulled all of the champions towards him and spoke in a hushed whisper. Then the cannon exploded and Dumbledore just looked done with Filch. Marcus chuckled as he walked over to Cedric and pulled him into a hug.

"Be safe man, I'll be patrolling so if you need help just signal and I'll get you out of there!" Marcus said as he stepped away. Cedric laughed and nodded before they shook hands and Marcus went back to his place next to Sprout.

Harry and Cedric then both entered the maze and Sprout held out her arm. Marcus grabbed it and his vision blurred and in just a few seconds he was just outside the dense and dark maze. Sprout apparated away and Marcus took a deep breathe before taking out his wands and climbing up a hill to get a better view.

He took in the size of the maze and truly feared for not only his friends life but for the lives of all the other champions. The wind was blowing and Marcus caught glimpses of the maze shifting and closing different sections and opening others.

Marcus thought he heard a sound and turned but saw nothing but the forest, he turned back and he had his wand at the ready. He started to grow bored and sat down, he used his wands to summon water and then made the water turn into different shapes.

Another sound, it was closer but definitely happened, Marcus looked up and scanned the treeline. He saw nothing but he was sure he heard something, it may have just been the wind and twigs snapping off. He looked back into the maze and sighed heavily wondering how long this was going to take.

Then he heard the scream, it was bloodcurdling and full of fear it was so loud Marcus winced. He started getting worried and took out his wands, just then a red spark shot into the air and Marcus went to work. He waved his wands and he could see Sprout and Snape in the distance helping him as they worked together to bring the champion out of the maze.

The hedges opened up and Fleur fell out, she looked unconscious and Snape ran over to check on her. He signaled that she was okay and apparated away to take her back to the start. A snapping sound and Marcus spun around gritting his teeth, someone was messing with him! He was sure of it!

Suddenly the hedges opened again and Krum fell out coughing and groaning. Sprout ran over and apparated him back to the start leaving Marcus on the hill, he scanned the maze trying to catch glimpses of his friend but the maze was too thick and too tall.

A twig snapping and grunt was the last thing he heard behind him.

He started to turn around only to be smacked across the face with a large branch. Marcus collapsed on the ground groaning, he blinked the spots out of his eyes before he started to get to his feet again. Something hit his back and he was on the ground again, the wind started to pick up again as if someone was being dragged out again. He heard the maze shifting rapidly as if someone was using magic to change the maze to what they saw fit.

Marcus tried to see who it was but when he looked up they blinded him with Lumos and he winced. The person then kicked him in the gut and he rolled down the hill, grunting the whole way down until he landed in a bunch of bushes.

He was just grateful he was wearing his dueling robes which were heavily padded. He finally was able to see again and he looked up to the hill but whoever was there was gone. He groaned as he got to his feet and walked back up the hill when Mcgonagall appeared in front of him.

"The cup has been acquired come on we need to get back!" she said giddily and Marcus took her arm and they were back at the start of the maze. He looked around but saw that neither Harry nor Cedric had returned, who won?

"How do we know the cup was grabbed?" Marcus asked curiously still trying to gather himself from being attacked not two minutes prior.

"Moody placed a tracking charm and when someone grabs it it will alert him, he got the alert now the question is where is Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory?" she asked more to herself. Marcus nodded in agreement as he put his wands away and stood there with the teachers.

After a few minutes he couldn't take it, he knew he could trust Mcgonagall with anything. He turned to her and spoke in a whisper "I'm sure Dumbledore told you but, do you think the Knights could resurrect Morgan?" he asked making sure no one heard him.

Mcgonagall looked around too before leaning over "Nothing can reawaken the dead but Morgan is not dead remember? She has been ritualistically bound to eternal torment, the Knights plan to break the ritual. Yes I believe they could and I believe that they are listening to our conversation right now." she said keeping a straight face.

Marcus recalled what his grandfather had said, that they had eyes and ears even in Hogwarts. He looked around when suddenly he heard a whooshing sound, he looked back and saw two people with the Triwizard cup.

Cedric and Harry were back!

Marcus got his feet and started cheering, he knew Cedric was going to make it through this. He started over when he realized something was wrong, Cedric wasn't moving! Harry was sobbing, Marcus ran over just as Fudge and Dumbledore approached them too.

"Ced? Ced?! Cedric wake up man!" Marcus shouted but the boy remained lifeless. Marcus didn't know how to breathe, Harry was crying loudly as he spoke.

"He's back! Voldemort is back! Cedric! He asked me to bring his body back! I couldn't leave him! Not there!" he sobbed. Marcus couldn't believe it he had just seen Cedric less than an hour ago! Now he was...he was...

"Let me through! LET ME THROUGH! THAT'S MY SON!" Amos Diggory broke through the crowd that had now grown silent. He sobbed shamelessly as he looked as his now deceased son, Marcus looked through his tears and saw Moody dragging Harry away.

Marcus felt anger as he marched over to Dumbledore "How can you allow someone like him to charm the cup?! He's insane and constantly drunk!" he shouted at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore looked shocked "Drunk you say? How can you tell?!" he asked frantically.

Marcus frowned "That flask he's always carrying, it reeks I don't know what it is but I figure it was alcohol." he explained and mentioned all the times he drank in front of him.

Dumbledore knew of his heightened senses and grabbed Marcus by his shoulder "I want you to speak very clearly...what did it smell like?!" he asked glaring at Marcus.

He stuttered a bit and racked his brain trying to remember the smell "Rotten meat and vegetables." he finally answered. Dumbledore looked incredibly worried now as he called over Snape and Mcgonagall, they started speaking and Marcus was sure he heard the word Polyjuice but the teachers ran off before he could ask.

He looked back and saw Amos still sobbing over Cedric, Marcus couldn't help but start crying again. He suddenly felt arms around him and he opened his eyes to see Dan hugging him. Marcus hugged back, then Anna walked over and hugged them both, then Sam came up and hugged them too.

They all cried silently as they thought about Cedric, their friend, their mentor, their leader. Marcus tried to speak and comfort his friends but he couldn't find the words, they caught in his throat. He choked back a sob as he continued to hug his friends as if to shield himself from everything horrible in the world.

But it did nothing.

Cedric Diggory was dead.

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	79. Chapter 79

"Today...we acknowledge a great tragedy. We have lost a truly honorable student, friend, and child." Dumbledore stated as everyone sat in silence. Marcus stopped himself from breaking down again and his friends looked like they were all trying to do the same.

"There are some who do not want me to tell you how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered! By Lord Voldemort! The Ministry does not wish for me to tell you this, but to not tell you I think would be an insult to his memory! Even though we come from different schools, laugh at different things, and speak in different tongues. Our hearts beat as one. I want you all to go forth and remember a boy who was loyal and true and strong and brave...right to the very end." Dumbledore spoke and everyone nodded.

After that everyone said their goodbyes to the leaving schools, Marcus gave Fleur a hug and told her to be careful. She nodded and gave him a kiss on the cheek, he then walked over and shook Krums hand "I heard you're a pretty good Beater, next time I'm around you and I are going to test that." he said.

Marcus chuckled "I'll see you then." he said and Krum left with the rest of Durmstrang. He waved goodbye as the carriage and ship faded in the distance, he turned and found his friends all looking at him.

"Are you going to be okay? You probably shouldn't be alone right now Marcus." Dan said but Marcus smiled and gave all his friends hug.

"You guys head home, I'm staying for a few more days to watch over Nile. He's going to be staying here for the summer because we know here we can at least keep him from dying. After Cedric I refuse to let another one of my friends down!" Marcus said trying not to cry again.

Dan kissed his cheek and wiped away the tears, then he smiled and walked off. Anna pulled him into a hug and then moved aside letting Sam give him a hug too. They both waved goodbye before running off to catch up with Dan. Marcus sighed heavily as he watched the students leave, he caught a glimpse of Harry Potter saying goodbye to his friends and a twinge of anger rose in him.

Why did Harry get to live?! Why did Cedric have to die?! Cedric Diggory was one of the most courageous and kindhearted people he had ever met and now he was gone! Harry walked over with a few scratches and there he is smiling while Cedric Diggory was being loaded into a carriage inside a coffin!

He glared at the Gryffindor some more before he waved goodbye and left the courtyard. Marcus was still scowling at the ground when he heard footsteps coming from the side. He looked to his left and saw Hermione walking up to him, a determined look on her face as she stopped in front of him.

Marcus would have laughed at the height difference, he was as tall as Cedric and Hermione was at least a foot shorter than him, but Hermione was a terrifying person that he didn't want to cross. She crossed her arms and stared at him, after a few seconds Marcus gulped a little "Can I help you Granger?" he asked with a small smile.

The Sun was slowly going down and it was hot out but Marcus was still wearing his black and red coat. Even though it kept him cool he started sweating under the younger girls gaze "Who are you?!" she demanded.

Marcus was taken back a bit and she rolled her eyes "Last year you said you were watching out for Harry, this year you were everywhere! Everytime we saw Dumbledore you were with him talking or no one knew where you were or what you were up to. I even saw you at the Quidditch World Cup talking to Shacklebolt and Fudge! It looked heated and important, so I am done wondering! You are going to tell me everything!" she practically shouted.

Marcus looked around and noticed that the courtyard was now empty, it was just the two of them. He sighed "Look Hermione I was sort of sworn to secrecy, if you want answers I'm afraid you're going to have to find them out yourself. Now come on you'll miss your train and..." he grabbed her shoulder on the intent of steering her to the exit but she wasn't having it.

She spun around, grabbed his wrist, and yanked his arm behind his back. Marcus crowd out in pain as Hermione pulled back a little "See, I want you to tell me everything." she said angrily.

Marcus nodded "And I totally agree!" he shouted in pain. He knew if she pulled back anymore she would break his arm, she kept his arm pinned against his back.

"Who are you working for?" she asked.

"Dumbledore!" he shouted in pain, his arm was on fire, he was pretty sure blood flow was cut off in the position it was in. It was going numb but was still incredibly painful, she hummed like she was satisfied with the answer before continuing.

"Why are you working for Dumbledore? What are you doing for him?" she asked. Marcus sighed, this was embarrassing he shouldn't even be in this position.

"Look Granger I can't just tell yoooo-OW! Okay okay! He asked me to watch over Harry! He didn't want him to die or get hurt because he thought the Dark Lord was going to return!" Marcus answered as she pulled his arm higher making it more painful when she pulled back.

"And Shacklebolt is part of it? Are you guys like a secret society or something?" she asked curiously and Marcus looked at her astonished. Wow, she hit that right on the nose she really is the smartest girl at school!

"Aw come on Hermione can't you just OW! Yes okay! Yes it's a secret society called the Order of the Phoenix! Dumbledore created it to fight against Voldemort when he first rose to power! Please Hermione that's all I know! Now either cut my arm off or give it back because I think it's dying from lack of blood!" he shouted in agony.

Hermione sighed and let go of his arm finally and he fell to the ground clutching it and trying to get feeling in it again. He could practically feel the blood running through it again and he sighed as the pain faded. Finally he stood up and shook his arm for good measure that it was working again.

"I want to join." she said.

Marcus looked at her in shock trying to figure out if she was joking or not. When he realized that she wasn't he sighed heavily "Look Granger I don't know if that's a good idea I mean we do dangerous and deadly things." he said recalling everything he has done for the order and what he has lost and gained.

Come to think of it...what has he gained?!

"I don't care Dine! I want to fight against the Dark Lord! I want to join!" she practically yelled. Marcus held his hands up to keep her from screaming any more, his heightened ears could hardly take it anymore.

"Okay! Let's go see what Dumbledore says!" he said and together they made their way through the school to the Headmasters office. He knocked on the door and it opened by itself to show Dumbledore talking with Mcgonagall and Snape.

They all stopped and looked at the two students "Uh, Hermione wants to join the Order, she kind of forced me to tell her everything." he said blushing wildly hoping no one asked how. The teachers all started talking in whisper for a second before they looked back at the duo.

"Very well, Minerva if you will speak with Ms. Granger privately?" Dumbledore asked and the two left together. As soon as the door closed Dumbledore sat at his desk "I'm afraid we have a problem Marcus. The Knights have been wreaking havoc in the countryside. I need you, Severus, and Kingsley to go investigate alright? I know so much has happened in the last few days but with the Dark Lords return we need to stay strong and resilient even in the darkest of times." he said.

Marcus sighed, he was really starting to regret joining the Order but no turning back now. He looked at Severus and internally groaned, this was going to be a struggle.

"Alright...let's go kick some ass."

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	80. Chapter 80

"Why are we way out here? I mean I get that the Knights are in the area but seriously why couldn't we fly?! Why walk?!" Tonks grumbled as the trio hiked up the hill. Marcus, Tonks, and Shacklebolt had traveled to England and were currently walking through a massive field in the countryside.

"Because if we flew in then the Knights would see us and escape before we even get the chance to get near. This is a mission of stealth not force!" Shacklebolt stated. Tonks huffed in annoyance and Marcus chuckled as they continued the long hike.

Soon a small shape appeared in the distance, Marcus squinted to try and make out the shape. They picked up the pace and a strong wind hit them, it was disturbingly cold for such a hot day that Marcus had to zip up his jacket. Tonks walked up beside him with a smirk "So tell me about that jacket Dine. It's a scorcher and you are still wearing that coat. Why?!" she asked curiously.

Marcus sighed "I got seriously injured last year. I was attacked by a werewolf and I have some really bad and obvious scars because of it. This jacket hides the scars, it's also enchanted to keep me cool or warm depending on the weather. There is also a small magic resistance charm in the fabric but its weak, just a small shield to try and keep me on my feet when I duel." he explained a little self conscious.

Tonks was speechless "Whoa, a werewolf?! How are you still standing kid?! I must say that's mighty brave of you, being attacked by a werewolf and still here you are fighting!" she said as she put her hands in her pockets. Marcus smiled a little but the cold feeling didn't leave, the others didn't seem to notice it but it still lingered.

Finally the shape became more distinct and Marcus recognized the large gray stones of Stonehenge. They got closer and saw that no one was nearby at all, not a soul was around. They entered the rings of stone and looked around, no one was hiding and no enchantments were placed.

Marcus was practically shivering now as they regrouped at the center of the monument. Shacklebolt sighed "Looks like it was a false trail. We better get back to..."

"Wait!" Marcus yelled and closed his eyes, he heard something. It was distant and indistinct but it was slowly getting louder, eventually he recognized the sound. He opened his eyes and looked into the distance "Hide!" he shouted and the three quickly ducked behind the massive stones.

Soon the roar of wings flapping and roaring became near deafening as the dragons landed on the other side of the monument. Marcus clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from breathing so loudly, he ignored the pain as his ring cut into his cheek.

"Yes it is here! The ritual took place here, this is where our Mistress resides!" the familiar voice of Cassius said. Marcus unconsciously grabbed his stomach remembering the feel of the sword piercing his body. He heard shuffling and Marcus risked glancing over the side of the stone. He saw Cassius and two other Knights walking around the center of the monument, Cassius looked near manic as he grinned. Marcus saw that Cassius was wearing an eyepatch now, Nile must have totally ruined it when he stabbed his eye.

Cassius pulled out a small vial filled with a red liquid. He glared at it but placed it on the center stone "The blood of Galahad, luckily that Nile boy took the blow for my idiotic grandson! No doubt he is already showing the symptoms of the Dragon Plague. It's a shame though, I was hoping Marcus would be infected and Nile would turn himself over to us for the cure." he said as he examined the blood.

Marcus went wide eyed as he heard the words, he knew he heard him correctly. There was a _cure_ for the Plague! He could cure Nile! He looked over and saw his comrades shaking their heads, as if knowing what he was about to do.

They guessed correctly because Marcus drew his wands and stepped out from behind the rock "Cassius!" he shouted angrily. The three Knights turned and the two flanking Cassius drew their wands but Marcus fired the Stunning spell and knocked them both to the ground.

Cassius smirked "Well done, I must say you really have amazing timing don't you my boy!" he said laughing.

"You said you know the cure?! What is it?!" Marcus barked. He marched up to his grandfather and pushed his wands against his throat, he didn't drop his grin as he backed up against the center slab. He was practically on the stone but Marcus didn't care he was going to cure his friend no matter what!

Cassius laughed his one good eye gleaming with joy "I will give it to you, but only if you do something for me." he said and Marcus pushed the wands further into his neck. Cassius finally wavered his smile "Now now, no need to resort to violence! I learned my lesson when last we met, do not underestimate your power. Marcus we can both benefit from the other, you need me to help your friend and I need you to help my cause." he said.

Marcus still didn't lower the wands and Cassius gulped "Why would I ever help you?! You're a madman!" Marcus yelled.

"Quite possibly, we all go a little mad at times. I digress however, my boy you can torture me, hurt me, cast the Cruciatus on me but I will _never_ give you the cure unless you help me!" he said his one good eye darting from his wands back to Marcus.

Marcus contemplated the situation, he didn't have long. Eventually the two other Knights would wake up and he would be outnumbered, he only won because he had the element of surprise. Finally he lowered his wands and Cassius let out a relieved sigh.

"Good choice Marcus! Now what I need from you is a little more of that Nile boys blood. The ritual will need more of it to be completed and that's not all. If you truly want to cure your friend, you will have to help me raise Morgan." he said smiling.

Marcus pushed his wands up against his throat again and he leaned "Your friend! Think about your friend! You help me raise her and I'll save your friend! I swear!" he said frantically.

Marcus could hear Shacklebolt whispering "Don't do it! Don't do it!" but he wasn't caring. Dumbledore had priorities, the Knights have priorities, and so did he!

"It's only empty words...unless we make the Unbreakable Vow. I need assurance that Nile will get the cure!" Marcus said glaring and Cassius scowled but nodded. Marcus turned around "Tonks!" he shouted and a few seconds later Tonks walked out with her wand ready.

"Ah you brought better companions this time! You are much smarter than you look son!" Cassius said laughing. Marcus glared harder before roughly grabbing his arm and holding it up. Tonks flicked her wand and Marcus felt a burning sensation as a small faint white line spread across both their hands.

"Do you Marcus vow to help raise Morgan Le Fay?" Tonks asked nervously.

Marcus gulped but nodded "I do." he said causing Cassius to grin. Another glowing line spread across his hand and it burned like hot coals.

"Do you Cassius vow to give Marcus the cure for the Dragon Plague if he helps raise her?" she asked.

Cassius grinned wider "I absolutely do!" he said loudly causing another line to burn through their hands. The lines faded but scarring remained on both of their hands as they pulled away. Tonks grabbed Marcus and steered him away from his grandfather who was waving goodbye.

"Hurry back!"

Marcus gulped hard as he stared at lines across his hand, what did he just do?! He was going to cure his friend and keep him from dying, but at a terrible price!

He had to raise Morgan Le Fay!

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	81. Chapter 81

"Sorry about this buddy!" Marcus said as he inserted the syringe and drew some blood from the unconscious Slytherin. Nile was shivering and the veins surrounding his neck were fiery orange now. Eventually the Plague would reach both his heart and his brain and burn the organs to ash. He filled up a small vial and then put it in his coat pocket, he gave a sad sigh before he bandaged Nile and then left. He walked out of the Hospital only to be greeted with a fuming Dumbledore.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" he roared.

Marcus rolled his eyes "What was necessary! I assume had I asked for your advice you would have told me to tell Cassius to go to hell?" he asked knowing the answer.

Dumbledore rubbed his forehead in frustration "We cannot allow this to happen. Morgana Le Fay is one of the most foul and wicked witches that ever existed!" he said. Marcus wasn't listening to his reasoning though, his friend was dying. He was going to save Nile no matter the cost!

"So that's it? Just let Nile die? He's seventeen and was unconscious for most of the school year. You just want me to forget my closest and oldest friend and leave him to die in extreme agony because I was following your orders? You may not have noticed but I don't really follow the rules very well." he said glaring at the Headmaster.

"No of course not! I am saying we must not immediately agree to something you don't know the consequences of for something that has another way of being solved! We could find the cure without Cassius giving it to us." Dumbledore explained softly.

"In the meantime Nile will just suffer and agonizingly slow death because you think we can figure this out ourselves! News flash, we can't! Sometimes you can't avoid the tragedy! People denied Voldemort still being alive for years and look what happened! He's starting to gain followers again! I refuse to accept that we will figure out a cure for an ancient disease in such little time! I'm saving my friend!" Marcus shouted.

Dumbledore looked him up and down "Will you be able to live with yourself after this?" he asked.

Marcus sighed again "Doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done." he said holding up his scarred arm from taking the Unbreakable Vow. He glared at him again "Stop me if you want but I'm doing this!" Dumbledore sighed as well before nodding and walking away. Marcus walked outside and was glad he had turned seventeen a few days ago because he immediately tested for allowance to Apparate and Disapparate and he got it!

He put his hand in his pocket and felt the vial of blood hoping it was enough before he apparated out of school grounds. Apparating was a very strange feeling but he had gotten used to it, he eventually hit the ground and he was in a field. The Sun was starting to go down and Stonehenge looked near terrifying with the torches and chanting coming from the center.

Marcus walked through and saw Cassius and his two bodyguards on their knees chanting something. Marcus realized they were chanting in Drakkantongue but for some reason he couldn't understand it very well. Like when someone speaks Latin to a person who speaks a Latin rooted language. It didn't make sense but he knew it was Drakkantongue, maybe an ancient dialect of it.

"Ahhhh welcome back Marcus!" Cassius said not looking up. Marcus gulped hard before he took out the vial of blood and placed it on the center slab. Cassius grinned "Ahhh yes that is plenty! Come Marcus it is time to raise our Mistress!" he said standing up.

Marcus glared "She is _not_ my Mistress! This is for my friend and nothing more." he stated firmly.

Cassius nodded "Admirable of you, I can see that even centuries later the chivalrous nature of our family has not dwindled. Come you must stand here, the reason I need you is because while we need the blood of one of the Knights that imprisoned her we also need two blood relatives to release her. We share her blood and only her blood can break her binds." he explained and Marcus wanted to vomit. This was madness but he had no choice in the matter anymore, he just nodded and took his place.

Cassius moved to the other side of the stone and raised his hands, his two bodyguards both stopped chanting and did the same. Marcus shrugged before he rose his hands too, he felt ridiculous until Cassius started speaking.

"Morgana, Queen of Dragons, Champion of Camelot, High Queen to the Knights of Le Fay! We summon you back! Too long have you suffered, too long have we been led without the rightful master of the order! Rise Morgana! We offer you tributes to return!" Cassius said loudly and Marcus suddenly found himself unable to move.

"We offer the blood of your foes!" all four of them said in unison, Marcus couldn't help himself. The horribly freezing sensation returned as Cassius placed his hands on the stone slab and the blood rose out of the vials and swirled around in the air.

"We offer the power of your children!" all four said and Marcus winced in pain and he could see his skin start to smoke as a fiery sensation coursed through his body. Cassius looked to be in just as much pain as he closed his eyes in pain.

Cassius grinned maniacally "And we offer...the blood of your followers!" he said and the two bodyguards lowered their hands in confusion at his words. Suddenly the two Knights were lifted into the air and started screaming in pain as their skin and flesh dissolved until all that was left were two skeletons. The skeletons fell to the ground in heaps as Marcus still couldn't move or speak it was as if someone else was controlling him.

Cassius drew his sword and raised it "Rise Morgana Le Fay! Rise as the rightful ruler of the Knights of Le Fay!" he shouted and thrust the blade into the rock. It cut through the slab like a knife through warm butter, a brilliant blue light shimmered in the crack the sword made.

The light became brighter and brighter and eventually it exploded in a shockwave of energy. Marcus was thrown off his feet and slammed into the large stones of the monument and fell to the ground. He groaned in pain as he tried to focus his vision.

The blue energy was swirling around the center slab, Cassius was laughing crazily as the energy slowly took the form of a woman. It wasn't a person it was more like a specter or a wraith, ghostly and hooded. She was beautiful and regal but Marcus knew who she was, what she was, and what she was capable of. She turned and faced Cassius who bowed and fawned over the ghost, then she turned and focused on Marcus and he was pretty sure his heart stopped.

"I am awake...at last." she said in a soft but menacing voice.

Morgan Le Fay had returned.

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	82. Chapter 82

"My Lady! At last you have returned!" Cassius exclaimed happily as he ripped the sword out of the stone slab and sheathed it. Morgan slowly descended to the ground and hovered a few inches above the grass. She reminded Marcus of a Dementor except she had more human features, her robes were white and flowing and she had a neutral expression as she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Thank you for releasing me. What is your name?" she asked calmly, Marcus was still a little disoriented from the blast but it scared him how calm she was.

"Cassius Martinius Dine!" he said proudly and Marcus slowly got to his feet keeping a firm grip on the stone to keep his balance. What has he done?! Cassius bowed again as Morgan touched the ground and she suddenly appeared more human than before. Her skin solidified and she lowered her hood allowing her long brown hair to fall as she placed a hand over his forehead.

"Thank you, those that serve me are greatly rewarded." she said and she snapped her fingers. Cassius winced a little before he lifted his eyepatch to reveal a newly constructed eye. She then turned to Marcus who had finally gotten to his feet "You, come forth." she said and Marcus couldn't help himself as his legs moved towards the resurrected witch.

She looked him up and down "I sense that you were hesitant in this task. Those inducted into the order are never hesitant when carrying out the Highlords will. Who are you child?" she asked her cold eyes staring into his soul.

"M-Marcus D-D-D." he said weakly trying to prevent his knees from buckling. He kept stuttering and simply could not get the words out, finally Morgan lifted her hand and he stopped talking. She continued to stare at him before turning back to Cassius who immediately saluted in attention to her.

"Kill him." she said and he grinned as he started towards Marcus and taking out his wand.

"Your oath! Remember your oath Cassius! You swore!" Marcus shouted in desperation as the man grabbed his collar and lifted him up. He saw in the corner of his eye Morgan perk her head up, she looked at Cassius then back at Marcus.

"Hold!" she ordered and Cassius stopped and looked back at Morgan. She walked forward and stared at the older man "You swore an oath to this boy? To what?" she asked although her tone said if he didn't answer she would kill him before he had the chance to apologize.

Cassius gulped as he lowered Marcus to the ground "My Lady it is nothing. I swore to give him the cure for the Dragon Plague if he helped me raise you." he explained with a nervous smile. It turned into fear when Morgan glared at him before turning back to the teenager.

"Give him the cure Cassius. You have sworn an oath and you must honor it." she said fiercely and he nodded. He quickly produced a small corked vial from his pocket that glowed in the moonlight. He handed it to Marcus and he let out a sigh of relief "Was that all that was sworn?" she asked and they both nodded. She gave a faint smile "Good. Restrain him Cassius, we shall kill him in front of the rest of the Knights." she said.

Cassius immediately grabbed Marcus and forced him to his knees "Why?! Why are you doing this?!" Marcus cried out as his hands and feet were bound with rope.

Morgan turned back and crouched down "Why? You wish to know why I am doing this? Why I wish to see a world free from muggles? When I was a little girl I learned I was different, I learned that I could speak to dragons. I spoke to them, listened to them, cared for them, and saw them not as beasts but as friends. One day I was bringing my closest friend, a small dragon that could barely fly, some food and do you know what I found? All of them, every single dragon that I called friend that I called family...was slaughtered! Those pathetic Knights of the Round Table that my brother was so fond of killed them all! I found a small dying Horntail in the cave, it asked me to avenge him and I promised that I would. I created the Knights of Le Fay and together we unleashed the Dragon Plague to exterminate every single muggle that saw my friends as monsters. That is why I am doing this Marcus. Who is truly the monster of that story?" she explained.

Marcus felt a tear fall down his cheek as he heard the horribly heart breaking story. He understood now why Morgan was angry, why she wanted to destroy muggles. That did not justify what she was doing, this wasn't justice this was mass murder! Cassius dragged Marcus back and threw him on the ground before he left to summon the rest of the Knights. He had the cure but he couldn't get it to Nile! He should have planned the oath out more clearly Cassius promised the cure but he never said he was going to let him live!

He struggled against his bonds and heard a small guttural roar. He looked over and saw the Ukrainian Ironbelly that Cassius always rode, he was cleaning his wings before he noticed Marcus staring. It stopped and turned to him "What are you looking at puny Warm Blood?!" he asked angrily.

Marcus looked over and saw Cassius and Morgan talking, he could have sworn he saw Morgan glance in his direction before steering Cassius away while they talked. He looked back at the dragon "Are you happy?" Marcus asked softly and the dragon looked at him with what he assumed was confusion.

"Happy?" he asked cocking his head to the side, Marcus nodded and the dragon seemed to think. It looked towards its master and back at Marcus "As long as the master is please I am pleased." he said confidently. Marcus saw rips in its wings and bleeding cuts on its silver scales, Cassius was abusing his dragon mount.

"If your master is pleased, then why does he hurt you?" he asked sincerely. The dragon straightened and the snarled before swiping his tail and it landed a foot away from Marcus, scaring him half to death.

"He is pleased! I simply must be better so he stays pleased! The wounds are my fault alone!" he roared. Marcus glanced over and saw that the adults still had not noticed the conversation even though it had gotten pretty loud.

Marcus scooted closer to the massive dragon "You know, no matter how much you try to please your master he will always beat and hurt you. He doesn't care what you think, he only wants to control you." he insisted.

The dragon looked at the ground in silence probably thinking of all the abuse he has sustained under the care of Cassius. It looked at the night sky as if dreaming to be free "That...That is not true! My master loves me! He treats me like...family." the last word came out as a whisper.

After a few minutes of silence Marcus saw hundreds of Knights approaching the monument and Cassius walked up and grabbed him. He glared at the Ironbelly "Don't talk to the prisoner you filthy excuse for a worm!" he roared in Drakkantongue.

The dragon nodded before backing up a bit, Cassius roughly pulled Marcus until they were standing before hundreds of witches and wizards. Marcus also saw hundreds of dragons as well, they were making their way over to the Ironbelly, it must be ranked higher than the others as the Highlords dragon. Cassius drew his sword and pressed it against the teenagers throat "My friends! Morgana has returned!" he shouted and the whole crowd erupted in cheers. He raised his hand for silence "We have here one of the great thorns that has been in our side. My grandson Marcus Dine!" he announced.

Morgan had been silent until that moment, "Cassius? Did you just say...grandson?" she asked carefully and the man nodded in confusion. She stepped towards him "You would kill your own blood? My own blood?" she asked and he lowered the sword against his throat.

"He is a nuisance my Lady! Thwarting us at every turn! He must be killed! Family or not he is nothing!" he said and Morgan glared at him with extreme hatred. She snapped her fingers and the sword was ripped from his hands and she grabbed it, she then stepped forward and grabbed Cassius by the throat.

"Family...is...Everything!" she said viciously before she threw the man and he landed on the field in the middle of the crowd. Morgan stepped forward "Things have changed my loyal followers. You blindly followed a mad man! Under my command we shall return to the righteous path that he so boldly strayed you from! As ruler of the Knights I hereby strip Cassius Dine of his rank as Highlord and disown him from the Le Fay name!" she announced. Marcus gasped as Cassius looked on in horror before he was suddenly swarmed by the crowd and attacked.

Marcus was trying to figure out what was happening Morgan would not kill him because he was family but then she killed Cassius? She was cold blooded and yet at the same time honorable?

This woman is _insane!_

Morgan turned to Marcus and he gulped hard she waved her hand and his ropes unraveled. He slowly got to his feet "I will give you this chance great grandson. Join me on this crusade or you will be disowned as well. What is your choice?" she asked calmly.

Marcus couldn't join her! She was a certifiably insane maniac with an insatiable bloodlust! If her refused he was dead, if he joined it would go against everything he believed in. He started to sweat as he thought about his options "I...I choose..." he started before he heard a loud roar, then another, then another, and another, and another. They both looked around and saw all of the dragons from before landing in a circle around the massive crowd, completely surrounding them. The Ironbelly crashed through the monument bringing the massive stones down on top of many Knights.

"Hypocrites! Monsters! You say we are equal but you treat us as vermin! No more! Rise up brothers! Fight for freedom! DEATH TO THE MASTERS!" the Ironbelly shrieked and all the other dragons roared in agreement before all hell broke loose. Dragons attacked and burned and clawed as curses and hexes were wildly shot to try and stop them.

"Monsters?! Vermin?! This is not right! What have you all done!?" Morgan screamed in rage as she started to kill her own followers with her sword. She had the most murderous look in her eye as she slaughtered countless witches and wizards "This is what my order has become?! I shall cleanse it all! None will be spared my wrath!" she roared as she decapitated another wizard.

Marcus took this opportunity to run, he quickly apparated out of the scene that resembled a medieval end of the world. He landed in the courtyard of Hogwarts and dropped to his knees, he had caused so much! It was not all for nothing though, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small vial of red liquid.

The Dragon Plague cure.

He quickly ran into the school and into the hospital wing where Nile was still unconscious. Marcus uncorked the vial and then he slowly poured it into his mouth, after a few seconds the orange color of his veins receded and the color returned to his face. His eyes fluttered open and he coughed a bit before he looked at Marcus "Hey Marky...what happened?" he asked with a hoarse voice.

Marcus grinned as he sat down and tried to catch him up to speed, he choked up a bit when he brought up Cedric and Nile shed a few tears. Nile looked around and sat up before looking back at his best friend "Why do I always miss all the fun?!" he asked with a goofy grin.

Marcus chuckled before he handed him a glass of water, he took it as Marcus pulled himself a glass as well. Nile held his glass up "Well I can tell you this. Here's to our sixth year!" he said laughing. Marcus faintly smiled before he clinked his glass with Niles.

"To our sixth year!"

 **END OF YEAR 5**

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	83. Chapter 83

**START OF YEAR 6**

* * *

"He can't do it himself? Why are we doing this?!" Marcus asked Tonks as they walked up the steps of the house. They had been tasked as the Advance Guard to bring Harry Potter to the Order headquarters. Moody was leading them as Tonks forced the door open and they walked up the steps to Harrys room.

"Because he is our only hope of defeating the Dark Lord! Now zip it Dine or I'll send your parents a letter apologizing for knocking out their son!" Moody snarled and Marcus rolled his eyes at the Aurors insanity. They reached Harrys room and Marcus quickly pulled out his wand and cast Alohamora on the lock. Moody pushed him behind Tonks before he blasted the door open, Tonks cast Lumos and showed Harry looking terrified and holding his wand.

"Professor Moody? What are you doing here?" he asked lowering his wand.

"Rescuing you of course!" he said before walking in and dragging him out of the room.

"Marcus?!" he asked incredulously as they walked down the steps. Marcus just shrugged, he had been working for the Order for so long he forgot that it was so secretive that not even Harry knew. They walked out of the house and Harry was next to Moody "I don't understand! I've been expelled." he said but Shacklebolt explained what Dumbledore did to postpone the hearing.

They all got in a line and summoned their brooms, then they took flight. They flew across London and Harry looked like he was having a fun time, Marcus scowled at him he wasn't a fan of Harry anymore after what had happened to Cedric. It wasn't Harrys fault but so much destruction that had happened all led back to Harry and his tied to the Dark Lord.

Not to say that Marcus hadn't had his own share of destructive adventures. Morgan Le Fay had purged the Knights after she learned that they had been mistreating dragons. Now she had been recruiting almost as heavily as Voldemort has the last few months. It was rumored that her and Voldemort were even working together because their views were very much the same. Voldemort wished to destroy all muggle borns and Morgan wished to kill all muggles. Together the only thing that would remain would be Pure bloods, Morgan was a vicious person regardless Marcus was positive that even Voldemort would rather ally himself with her than fight her.

Finally they landed at 12 Grimmauld Place and made their way inside. Harry seemed entranced at the house before Moody pushed him out of the way and they all made their way into the dining room. Marcus sarcastically pat Harry on the cheek before making his way into the room where Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were talking.

Marcus sat down next to Sirius and they shook hands before they both saw Harry, they looked stunned and Marcus was almost positive that they thought they saw James and not Harry. Then Mrs. Weasley walked out and shut the door and the two went back to their conversation.

"We need more followers! Voldemort will not stop, his army is growing by the day and Fudge refuses to listen to reason!" Remus stated and Sirius nodded. They both then looked over at Marcus "Marcus we were wondering if...many students at Hogwarts believe the Dark Lord truly has returned but most do not. Those few that believe may help us in the fight..." but Marcus cut him off.

"No! I am not recruiting kids! Those are scared children that literally don't even know how to hold a wand correctly! If you think that Dumbledore will want me to bring children into this madness then he's more paranoid than Fudge!" Marcus stated.

Everyone sighed and Sirius turned to him "Kid listen, the Dark Lord will kill anyone that stand in his way. We must trust Dumbledores decision even if we don't agree with it." he explained but Marcus snorted. He used to trust Dumbledores judgement fanatically but ever since Cedric died, ever since he told him to do nothing in saving Nile after he was infected with the Dragon Plague he spoke up to Dumbledore whenever he didn't agree with him.

"Are you even listening to what you are asking?! You want me...to recruit kids...to fight a murderous psychopath! I will not deny that Dumbledore is a good man and has good intentions but at what point is the end not justified by the means?!" he asked with a scowl.

Remus sighed just as Severus Snape walked in, he sat down and said nothing before Lupin looked back at Marcus "Marcus, Voldemort is a killer, when he first rose to power he killed kids without remorse. Kids younger than yourself or even the first years at Hogwarts. Yes this is a terrible thing to ask but it is also a terrible time. We do not wish to do this but we need you, you have grown so much over the years and earned an enormous amount of respect with the student body. If the students would listen to anyone it would be you." he explained.

Marcus groaned and rubbed his eyes, he knew they were right but he hated that they were right. He looked over at Snape who seemed near sympathetic before he glared at Black and Lupin "Why have I been called?" he asked and Black smirked.

"What's wrong Snivellus? Couldn't shy away from your chemistry set?" he asked tauntingly and Snapes glare darkened.

"I am here only because Dumbledore has asked! If it was my way I would see you back in Azkaban Black!" he growled and he and Sirius started fighting heavily. This happened every time they were in the same room ever since the Order was reestablished and Grimmauld Place became the headquarters.

Marcus finally couldn't take the arguing and slammed his fist down causing all of the papers and books to fly off the shelves. He had mastered wandless magic but he seemed to accidentally perform small things like that when he was angry or frustrated. He blushed a little but stood his ground as the two adults looked at him shocked.

"Both of you shut up! Enough with the rivalry! Enough with the snarky comments! Enough of the past! Snape you tried to have the wrong man convicted knowing full well he was innocent after his escape!" he roared and Snape backed down. Sirius looked smug until Marcus turned to him "And you tried to kill Snape while you guys were still at school! It's your fault that he knows Remus is a werewolf and it is your fault that everyone else knew at the time because Snape told other people! Who wouldn't?! You tried to _kill_ him!" he shouted and Sirius looked down in guilt. The room had gone completely silent the only thing you could hear was Crookshanks out in the hall, it sounded like he was eating a mouse or something "Both of you have done extremely idiotic things in the past but it's in the past so shut. The. Hell. UP! Make peace or I swear I will show you just how strong someone with two wands can be!" he shouted, his throat was hurting now at the yelling but he meant every word.

The two men looked at each other and finally Snape rolled his eyes and held his hand out. Sirius glared but eventually it softened and they shook hands and went back to business. Marcus sighed in relief and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see Mrs. Weasley smiling at him. She handed him a small bowl of food "Good work dear I don't think I've ever seen them this nice to each other. I just got a letter from your parents, they want you home. Eat quick and I'll fetch your coat!" she said before leaving.

Marcus ate fast before he walked out and Molly handed him his enchanted jacket. He slipped it on and like every time he had it on a small mist suddenly erupted from the sleeves, the werewolf scars that poked out of the sleeve on the back of his handed vanished so no one could see them. Marcus still wasn't sure how Dumbledore managed that but he was grateful that the wizard was powerful enough to cast charms like that.

He walked out and Molly gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek "Good luck dear be safe! I'll see you on the platform yeah?" she asked and he nodded with a smile. She walked back in and Marcus looked out into the starry night.

Then he apparated home.

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	84. Chapter 84

"Hey guys!" Nile said and everyone jumped out of their seats and hugged Nile. They were still so relieved that Nile had made a full recovery from the Dragon Plague, Anna kissed his cheek and Sam pulled him into a hug and Dan gave him a fist bump.

Marcus pulled his brother into a hug before Dumbledore called for silence and everyone took their seats. Marcus looked over and saw someone at the table for the professors and literally forgot how to breathe. Dumbledore cleared his throat "Please welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Dolores Umbridge." he announced and she waved.

Marcus knew her, he knew of her family and the repulsing behavior she demonstrates at the Ministry. His parents knew her father when he worked as a low level janitor, one day he vanished and Umbridge acted as if her family was a not Halfblood but Pureblood when they weren't. Her attempts to rise in the Ministry through horrible tactics such as marriage with men she didn't love at all.

She lived up to her expectations when she very rudely interrupted Dumbledore himself in the middle of his speech. She walked out and started talking in a sweet voice that Marcus knew was fake and she didn't mean a single word she said. His dad had once seen her intoxicated and she spouted horrible things about centaurs, werewolves, goblins, and even muggleborns.

"This is really bad." he said under his breath, Sam and Anna looked at him confused and Marcus started sweating. He gulped "The Ministry is interfering with Hogwarts, this means that Fudge is getting even more paranoid than we thought." he said sighing.

"Than who thought?" Sam asked, Marcus shook his head before exhaling loudly. He motioned for them to follow him and then waved over for Nile and Dan to join them and they walked out into the hall. He had been keeping too many secrets from his friends for too long, he made sure they were alone before he looked at his friends.

"I haven't been honest with you guys. All those times I said I was studying, practicing for Quidditch, or taking walks into Hogsmeade? I was actually...I was helping Dumbledore. He inducted me into an order my fourth year, The Order of the Phoenix. It was created as a secret organization to fight against You-know-who when he first rose to power. That's why I'm worried about Umbridge, if Fudge tries to arrest Dumbledore or take over the school then that's it! The Dark Lord will have no one fighting against him and he'll kill us all!" he explained in one breath.

His friends all looked at him silently and he thought they were going to laugh at him or judge him. He was surprised when Sam walked forward and pulled him into a hug, then they all joined in. Dan sighed as he kissed his cheek "Why didn't you tell us? All these things you had to keep secret! It must have been horrible doing this alone, how are you still sane?!" he asked and Marcus chuckled.

"It might be too late already. Anyway you guys head back to eat. I don't really have an appetite tonight, I think I'm going to turn in early." he said and all of his friends looked at him suspiciously. Marcus smirked "I swear I am just going to bed no secret meeting with Dumbledore." he said and his friends rolled their eyes and smiled before heading back.

He started down the halls and he had just made it to the stairs when he heard rapid footsteps. He turned around and saw a small kid, he was a first year Hufflepuff he remembered seeing him with the Sorting Hat but what was it name? Kevin? Christian?

"Hey! I'm Caleb! Are you Mark Dine?!" he asked with an even more happy attitude than Sam. He had short cropped black hair and hazel eyes as he smiled widely with childlike innocence.

Marcus nodded slowly "Uh, I prefer Marcus usually. Only really close friends call me Mark, nice to meet you Caleb." he said as he started down the steps. He had gotten to the bottom before he realized that Caleb was still following him. He frowned as the kid had a grin plastered across his face "Something I can do for you?" he asked confused.

"I was just wondering if maybe...I could shadow you? You're like the coolest guy in the school and I'm you're biggest fan! I heard about what you did in your first few years and I want to be able to do that too! I have my wand ready!" he said pulling his wand out and flicking it. A painting flew off the wall and the man in the portrait screamed as he flew through the air and then landed at the end of the hall.

Caleb and Marcus both winced and Caleb put the wand away "Uh...sure as long as you never do that again." he said and the boy nodded. Marcus nodded too before he entered the Common room, Caleb followed him and started asking him questions so fast he literally could not register what he was saying. He opened the door to the bedrooms and the boy was still afoot behind him.

"And you have two wands that answer to you! I also heard you have a...whoa! Is that a dragon bone ring! Man you are so cool! I am also going to try for the Quidditch team as a Beater! I heard you were made team captain last year! I hope I make captain one day!" he said and Marcus rolled his eyes as he laid down on his bed.

He cracked his eye open and saw Caleb grinning as he sat on the bed next to him. The young boy cocked his head "Is that how you sleep? I'll sleep like that too!" he said before laying down.

Marcus internally screamed.

It was going to be a long year.

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	85. Chapter 85

Marcus opened his eyes to the grinning face of Caleb "Where did you get your ring?! Isn't dragon bone almost impossible to cut?! Are those rubies real?" he asked. Marcus sighed as he sat up and the short boy kept asking questions, it had been a month and he was still asking the most annoying questions.

He sat up and cracked his back, he looked over and saw Sam glaring at Caleb with tired eyes before rolling over and going back to sleep. This kid...Marcus wasn't at nature a violent person but he was really wanting to smack this kid. He reached for his ring but saw that it wasn't on his table, he looked over and saw Caleb holding the ring.

"It looks so cool! It's too big for my finger here you go!" he said handing Marcus the ring. He quickly snatched it and slipped it on before changing into his jacket, as he took off his shirt to put on a fresh one he heard Caleb gasp. He turned around and saw that he was looking at his werewolf scars, he had a few on his back but they weren't as deep as the rest.

"Whoa! Those are nasty! Was that from the werewolf?! Oh man I bet you kicked that things butt! You're so cool!" he said practically gushing over Marcus. He zipped up his jacket and put his hands in his pockets, he gave the kid a bored expression hoping he would get the message that he didn't care.

He didn't get the message.

He walked out and Caleb was still asking questions about the werewolf attack. He was talking the entire way to DADA and he was so happy he was not in the same year as the kid. Caleb waved goodbye before running off to his class, Marcus rolled his eyes and walked into the classroom.

He sat down and saw Umbridge staring at all of them with a smile, until she laid eyes on Marcus. Very few families in the Ministry knew of her true lineage and the Dines were one of them. She momentarily dropped her smile and glared at him fiercely before bringing the smile up again.

"Welcome class! I have learned that you have not been keeping up with the Ministry approved curriculum for this subject!" she said sweetly and flicked her wand. A bunch of spell beginner books landed on their desks and Marcus frowned in both annoyance and confusion. He had mastered every possible spell that could be in this book and they were all a year from graduating, how was this book possibly in the curriculum for Sixth Years?

"Uh...sorry professor but how is this going to help us? We already know these spells and none of which would help us defend ourselves." Nile said confused as he raised his hand.

Umbridge chuckled a little "There is no need to defend yourself dear. We are all perfectly safe and honestly who would want to attack children?" she asked sounding completely astounded.

"You." Marcus answered under his breath, he heard footsteps and he looked up. Umbridge was staring down at him a vicious scowl on her face, Marcus gulped he didn't realize how close she was when he said that.

"I would to like to speak to you after class Mr. Dine!" she said in a soft voice before going back to the lesson. The rest of the class was her going over beginning spells and not even practicing them, it was simply reading from the book. By the time class was over Marcus almost missed Caleb because at least he accidentally used magic, this woman was ruthless on the no magic rule in her presence.

Finally everyone filed out and Marcus stayed in his seat, Umbridge walked over and smiled widely at him. She cleared her throat "Now sweetie I would like you to keep your very rude and dishonest answers to yourself. Thank you!" she said before turning around. Marcus snorted in a laugh and the woman stopped and turned back to face him "Something on your mind dear?" she asked keeping a neutral expression.

Marcus clicked his tongue "Beginning spell books? Not using magic? No defensive spells at all? Honestly this seems a little idiotic in _Defense Against the Dark Arts!_ We need to learn how to defend ourselves...against the dark arts!" Marcus said and Umbridge walked back taking deep breaths.

"You will not raise your voice to me Mr. Dine! Also to question my curriculum is to question the Ministry and by extension...the Minister himself! Is that what are you doing?!" she nearly shrieked. Marcus chuckled a little before standing up, he was so much taller than her it was almost hilarious. He stood in front of her in a near intimidating stance as he grinned.

"Yes! I am questioning his methods! Let me guess...you're going to send an owl to Fudge explaining this situation? Allow me to break this down for you. You may have the Minister ear but my family has the peoples. Who truly has the power? The man or the populace? You have one man that listens to you my family has a nation. So go ahead, write your letters, give me detention, try and beat me down just know that I'm not going anywhere... _h_ _alfblood_." he said with a smirk before grabbing his books and walking out.

He was sure that was going to come back to bite him but it felt good to let his frustration out on someone that he knew deserved it. He was glad he did because he would have snapped as he left the room and found Caleb waiting for him with a wide grin.

"Man I can't wait to take that class! Oh think you could give me some pointers?! I bet you've mastered every spell ever thrown at you! What do you have next?! Potions oh that's awesome! I have it right after you! I'll walk with you!" he said happily and trailed Marcus.

By the time he got to the dungeons Caleb had asked over a hundred questions. Including, for some reason, if he has ever gambled...of course by asking that Caleb was gambling that Marcus wouldn't turn him into a fish and feed him to Nax. He took a deep breath and tried for a smile "Look kid I appreciate that you look up to me really I do but you have to give me some space okay?" he asked politely.

Caleb nodded and started walking away Marcus let out a sigh of relief like he had just woken up from a nightmare. Then Caleb turned around "I'll see you on the Quidditch field and in the common room buddy!" he said before running off.

Nope, he was still stuck in the nightmare. He groaned loudly before walking into Potions and saw Snape glaring at him, which only led to him rolling his eyes. After everything he has been through over the years Snape did not scare him in the slightest anymore. He had faced even worse horrors than a mean teacher, and survived so he was a different person than when he first stepped into the class.

He sat down next to Sam and gave him a smirk before pulling out his notebook. Before class even started Snape was next to Marcus and staring him down "The Headmaster wishes to speak with you. Right now." he said and Marcus nodded before grabbing his stuff and walking out.

As he made his way up the tower he kept wondering to himself why Dumbledore always picked him. He had a bunch of Order members including Harry Potter so why was Marcus still doing stuff for the Order.

Come to think of it...

Why is he doing this at all?

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	86. Chapter 86

"Mr. Dine I'm glad to see you have recuperated well from Stonehenge." Dumbledore said with a smile but Marcus wasn't smiling. The Order was cutting into his class times now and he was starting to get annoyed with how much he was doing and what little he was gaining.

"What did you need Albus?" he asked casually as he tapped his bone ring against a glass vase. He stopped when he saw the small cracks forming against the glass and looked back at the Headmaster.

"It would appear that your loving Kelpie deeply desires your attention. One of my informants has told me that he is getting lonely and starting to cause large waves out in the Loch." he said and Marcus nodded. He was glad it wasn't a mission it was just Nessie getting lonely "You have my permission to apparate on school grounds Marcus, you have earned it." Dumbledore said before sitting at his desk.

Marcus nodded before he walked up to the balcony and quickly apparated out of the school. He hit the ground right next to Loch Ness, he saw the water was choppy and looked strong. Nessie did that a lot when he was upset or happy, he walked along the Loch and drew his Unicorn wand he was about to use magic to cut his palm to signal Nessie to come to him but he never got the chance.

"He was abandoned when I first found him." a female voice said behind him.

He turned around and saw Morgan Le Fay standing there stroking Nessie, in his horse form, and petting his mane. He aimed his wand as he drew his other but Morgan snapped her finger and they both flew out of his grip. She grabbed the wands and stared at him with a neutral expression before she simply placed the wands on the ground.

"I have no desire to harm you at the moment great grandson. Please do not push me." she said calmly as she went back to petting Nessie. The massive Kelpie looked unbelievably happy to see his master alive and well, Marcus was about to ask why she was there but she seemed to read his mind.

"Nessie is my last and only friend Marcus. I thank you for looking out for him, he told me that you saved him from being controlled by Cassius. For that you have my gratitude." she said with the faintest of smiles crossing her face.

"Save it! Why are we even talking?!" Marcus snapped and Morgan was unfazed as she soothingly spoke to Nessie. Marcus looked at the massive water creature and then lifted his open hand out, Nessie looked over and quickly swam over and let him pet his mane.

Morgan looked impressed "We are talking because I hope to persuade you to join my cause. As one of the new members of the Dragon Council. The inner circle if you will." she said and Marcus gave her a look of disgust. She got the message and sighed "Dear Marcus I do not wish to harm my blood, Cassius was a necessity but you? You have displayed all of the traits that every member of our family should have. Chivalry, bravery, strength, and leadership. I told you I do not wish to fight, on this Loch with my dear friend here we shall name this a sanctuary. I ask that you do not push me Marcus as I will kill you if I have to but this place, with this creature, we shall not fight. We will respect the code of honor and speak to each other civilly like the knights of Camelot displayed so long ago." she explained calmly.

Marcus wanted to shout at her, he wanted to attack her, call her a monster, but she was right. If there was the chance to talk without attacking each other he was going to take it. Better to have peace than war, he sighed and rubbed his temple "Alright, we can talk." he said softly.

Morgan seemed to brighten, probably because even between enemies he was still considerate. She took a few steps closer, kicking the pebbles of the rocky shore as she walked. Marcus backed away a little and Nessie followed him missing the attention of being pet. Morgana stopped walking and gave him a calculating look "Why do you fight against the Knights?" she asked.

He scoffed "You want to rid the world of muggles! Last I checked that's called genocide and I'll die before I let you turn the world I love into a battleground!" he said angrily.

She spread her hands as if he had just contradicted himself "Think about this though dear boy. You love this world, but it does not love you. I know the wounds of a werewolf when I see them, how many people have called you a mutt? A freak? Weak?" she asked. Marcus was trying to think of a comeback but she continued "You speak the language of dragons just like me, many find that amazing but how many have avoided you? How many people think you are strange because of this? You fight for a world that doesn't care. That would rather see you dead than a hero." she explained.

Marcus was stunned, he started to think about everything, a lot of people did steer clear of him in the halls now but he just thought it was because Nax is always on his shoulder. He didn't care that people stared at his scars but he had noticed that people were _always_ staring. He looked at the ground and tried to think of something to say back to her but he had nothing.

"I believe there was a man, long after my time, who was wise beyond his years. He said that the ends justify the means, muggles are ruthless grandson. They are primitive, close minded, and cruel. I do not take pleasure in what must be done but it is necessary for there to be peace. To game the hunter is a cruel and merciless monster that kills without remorse. For too long wizards and dragons alike have been the game and muggles are the hunters. It was only a matter of time until the hunter realizes that he is surrounded, that he is powerless, that our means truly _are_ justified for the end." she continued as she walked forward and started to tend to Nessie right next to Marcus.

He didn't flinch or walk away from her, everything she said hit him in the heart. It wasn't the answer to exterminate the muggles but...he knew if he ever showed himself to muggles like his scars or his love of dragons or anything magical, they would shun him. People shunned him now and they were not even muggles, he started to think was taking in Remus Lupin as a groundskeeper his way of protecting people who are shunned like he is? Was joining the Order of the Phoenix just a way to validate and somehow make up for being an outcast? Maybe Morgan was right, this is his families legacy and if there was one thing he and Morgan agreed on it was this:

Family is everything.

"With me you would be not only respected but honored among our ranks. Your ability to speak with dragons would be praised not feared, your scars show your bravery and determination that many with us would only dream of!" Morgan said with a smile. She knelt down in front of Marcus, a tear was falling down his cheek and she wiped it away. He was taking shaky breaths as he looked into her eyes, he could see the sincerity in them that only someone that truly cared would have.

"Will you join the Knights Marcus? Will you join your family? Your birthright?" she asked as she grabbed his hands.

Marcus opened his mouth and was a second away from saying 'Yes' when a thought crossed his mind.

Dan...Sam...Anna...Nile...Cedric.

His friends, what would his friends think if he did this? He would lose them, Nile was nearly killed by them and Dans parents were kidnapped and tortured by them. He thought of Streaks, his closest friend that he cared for and loved every day and how he was ripped away from him.

He dropped his hands and backed away from the ancient witch as he shook his head. Morgan sighed heavily "As I suspected, know this grandson we leave each other today in peace. When next we meet only one will leave alive. Farewell Marcus." she said before apparating away and leaving him alone with Nessie.

Marcus gulped hard and tried to pull himself together, he pat Nessie on the head before walking over and grabbing his wands. He took a deep breath and said goodbye to the Kelpie before apparating out of the Loch.

He reached the school courtyard and it was deserted save for one person standing there looking incredibly displeased. Dolores Umbridge.

"Well this is absolutely unacceptable! To apparate in Hogwarts is strictly forbidden! I shall make sure you pay dearly for this!" she said angrily. Marcus was done with her already, he marched up to her with a scowl on his face.

"Listen here Umbridge! Don't think you can bully me into submission! The Headmaster is the one who deals with those kinds of rule breaking and I have been given permission from Dumbledore himself! You are just a professor not even a Head of House! Now if you'll excuse me I have Quidditch tryouts to host! Don't even try and punish me because I know for a fact that you don't have that kind of power!" he snarled before walking into the school.

It may have been his imagination but he was almost positive he heard Umbridge speak under her breath.

"Not yet." she muttered.

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	87. Chapter 87

"Okay guys good job! You all showed a lot of effort! Anthony? Keep working on your turns I'll have this years team posted by the end of the day guys." Marcus announced and all of the Hufflepuff students trying out for the team nodded. As everyone was leaving Caleb ran up, his Quidditch gear much too big for him but he was grinning like a madman.

"Did I make the team?!" he asked immediately with his high pitched voice making Marcus wince. He was really starting to dislike this kid, sure he was just hyperactive and happy but at some point there is a limit!

Marcus cleared his throat "Uh sorry Caleb but no you didn't. First years generally don't make the house teams. Better luck next year buddy." he said before walking off the field. Thankfully Caleb was too distracted with the Quidditch stands and brooms to follow him.

As he was walking he took off his gloves and sighed in relief at the freedom of flexing his hand. He had just made it to the courtyard when Sam ran up to him "Hey buddy so I have to ask...do I stay on as Keeper?" he asked hopefully.

Marcus hated putting his friend down but he didn't want to give him false hope "Sorry Sam, you didn't make it this year." he said softly. Sam looked sad but only for a few seconds before he perked up again and smiled.

"Ah who needs it! More time for me to spend with Anna! I think she likes me back dude, I'm just guessing but some of the things we talk about...I feel like we are getting so much closer." he said throwing his arm around Marcus and the two laughed at his goofiness.

Suddenly a bunch of students ran by them and Marcus quickly caught up with Neville Longbottom "Hey, what's going on?" he asked. Neville looked a little nervous but Marcus urged him and he finally caved.

"Harry Potter wants people to meet him at the Hogs Head Inn. He wants to talk about Cedric and how he died." he explained. Marcus was stunned a little before he looked at Sam, they both had the same thought and followed the large group of students. They reached the inn and everyone looked uncomfortable with being the first to enter but Marcus rolled his eyes, he wanted to make sure Cedric was honored and not used to fuel something. He stepped forward and pushed the door open and the mob of students followed him closely.

As he walked in he saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron all looking nervous at the large amount of students, he guessed they weren't expecting as many students as there were. He pulled up a chair and sat down, Sam sat to his left and who else would be to his right but Zacharias Smith. He shook his head in annoyance at the rude Hufflepuff but looked up when Harry cleared his throat.

"Right well thank you all for coming. The reason I asked you here is in the hopes that you will help me. Voldemort is back and he is gaining support." he said and a number of students groaned. Marcus knew that Fudge was using his influence in the newspaper to deny the return of Voldemort but those few who were not idiots knew that Voldemort really was back.

"Tell us again how Cedric died that night?" some Ravenclaw asked out of the blue.

"I'm not going to tell that night. How many of you came here just to find out the truth about Cedric?" Harry asked and a number of students raised their hands. Marcus clenched his jaw, if Harry says anything about Cedric...

"Voldemort killed him." Hermione said.

Zach snorted in "So he says." he muttered and Marcus didn't hesitate to bring his hand back and smack him across the face. Then everyone started recounting some of the feats that Harry had done including casting a Patronus charm. Marcus was impressed, Harry can conjure a Patronus? That's one of the most advanced spells someone can conjure!

"So what do you guys say? Will you join us?" he asked and everyone looked at each other. Pretty soon everyone was signing their name on a piece of paper but Marcus didn't. He wanted to secretly fight? Train students in secret? That could only lead to disaster, he's teaching them to fight Death Eaters who will not hesitate to kill them. Needless to say Marcus didn't agree with Harry about this plan.

He grabbed Sam and every other Hufflepuff he could and pulled them away "I don't want you guys joining!" he said. Most of the Hufflepuffs looked uneasy but of course Zach was the one to voice his idiotic comments.

"What's the worst that can happen you idiot? I'm one of the best fighters there is!" he said with a grin.

Marcus rolled his eyes "First of all no you aren't. Second of all I don't want to see everyone in this room dead! I don't care what Harry says, yes forming this army could work out but I am not risking any of your lives." he said defiantly and all the students nodded in agreement.

Well almost all of them, Zach glared and walked over to sign his name. Then he whispered something to Harry and his friends, he gave Marcus a wink before Ron and Harry walked over. Marcus turned to face them "Something wrong Dine? Zach says you aren't letting your house sign." Harry asked.

"Yeah I don't want them to get hurt so you aren't going to train them." Marcus said casually. A bunch of Gryffindors looked a little mad but there were maybe fifteen people who had signed up and nearly double that of Hufflepuff students backing Marcus.

Ron stepped forward with a glare "You need Harry's help, he faced off against You-know-who and survived! You saw how good of a wizard Cedric was and..."

"Don't! Don't you dare talk about Cedric to me!" Marcus growled and Harry nodded in understanding but Ron, being the hothead he was, kept pushing.

"You-know-who is out there! If we don't fight then everyone here who you say shouldn't fight will be dead because of you!" Ron barked.

Marcus clenched his fist and stepped forward "You and I both know that we are on the same team Weasley! Hell I was the one who brought you into the Order! Maybe I know when to back down better than you! So get the hell out of my face Weasley I'll be damned if I let any one of my house mates join this. I've seen some horrors first hand and I refuse to let my house be anywhere near that!" Marcus whispered. Ron looked angry but backed down.

"How about a demonstration?" Zach said loudly and everyone looked at him. He grinned "Harry and Marcus, whoever wins decides for the house." he said and everyone looked between the two students. Marcus sighed before he nodded, Harry drew his wand and pointed it at him after a few seconds Zach laughed "What's wrong? Too scared Dine?" he asked and people laughed.

Marcus gave a sarcastic smirk before he simply snapped his fingers and Harry gasped as his wand flew out of his hand. Marcus snatched it in the air and everyone stared at him in shock. He walked over and handed him his wand back "We're not joining." he said before he walked out of the inn with all of the Hufflepuff students behind him.

Sam ran next to him "Marcus was that really the right choice?" he asked as they all walked down the snowy path.

"Cedric looked out for you guys before he died. He protected all of us." Marcus said but he was already regretting not letting them join, it made him look like a tyrant. He has seen enough death, he didn't want anyone else to suffer the same fate.

"Time for me to take up those reigns."

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	88. Chapter 88

"Come on Marcus!" a bunch of Hufflepuffs said, oddly enough they had not realized that Marcus wasn't their boss. If they wanted to join DA they could but it was almost like they saw him as the authority figure. Marcus shook his head as they all sighed and went back to eating.

Marcus sat down next to Anna and Sam and both of them were staring at him, he looked at them "What?" he asked. He looked around and saw that nearly all of Hufflepuff House was at the table but all the other tables were near empty.

"Is this really what you want? To not have anyone be trained against the Dark Arts?" Anna asked and Marcus shrugged. He wasn't sure what he thought anymore because ever since he had told Hufflepuff not to join Zach had been bad mouthing him at every turn. Of course no one listened to the selfish narcissist but eventually someone might listen.

"I am not going to have anyone in my house get hurt! Not like Cedric!" Marcus snapped as he picked at his food.

Sam looked at Anna before turning back "But doing this...isn't that insulting Cedric? You were his closest friend and wouldn't you think that not fighting would be an insult to him? You and I both know he would have been the first to sign up. Is that really how you want to honor him? By doing nothing?" he asked.

Marcus stared at his food before finally he sighed deeply and got up "Let's go guys!" he shouted to his table. Most of the students joined him as he started for the door.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked.

"I'm going to smack you in the head with a hammer that's what I'm going to do...where's Harry?" he asked annoyed. Sam and Anna walked ahead of him as he led the rest of his house. They stopped by a door that he was sure had never existed before, it slowly opened and Marcus walked in to see Harry and his friends all practicing.

Harry walked over and stared at all of the students behind Marcus "Hey uh...still taking newcomers?" he asked scratching his neck. He saw that Harry was trying to play it cool but he could see the excitement in his eyes, Marcus was a good dueler and knew maybe twice as many spells as anyone in the school. Harry nodded and held out his hand, Marcus took it and gave a small smile "Alright whoever was training you before fire them because you're learning from a master now!" he shouted and everyone laughed.

"I think you mean..." Zach started.

 _"Stupefy"_ Marcus said and flicked both his wands at him sending the annoying kid flying backwards. He hit the ground groaning "Lesson number one, learn to block! Lesson number two, focus on one spell at a time! Don't just successfully cast a spell and then move on! I fear not the man who has practiced a thousand kicks one time I fear the man who has practiced one kick a thousand times! Find your spell and master it! Stupefy is a good one but so is Expelliarmus, Depulso, Reducto, and even Petrificus Totalus. Harry which spell have you picked?" Marcus asked.

"Expelliarmus." he answered and Marcus nodded, he gestured him to the other end of the room and they both got in dueling positions. Marcus nodded and Harry started firing the Disarming jinx constantly eventually Marcus couldn't keep up and his wands flew out of his grip.

"See what I mean? Hermione let's see what you got." he said and Granger walked over to where Harry was and held her wand out.

Not a second after he said go she cast Stupefy and sent him flying back. He groaned as laid on the ground "Okay good! A little aggressive but good! Oh my god that hurts!" he said rolling on the ground. After he got up Harry had everyone start practicing with each other. He and Marcus went around helping people with stances and making sure they were casting correctly.

"Alright guys this was a good lesson I'll see you all tomorrow!" Harry announced and everyone quickly got their things and left. Then it was just Harry and Marcus leaning against the wall "What made you come around?" he asked curiously.

Marcus sighed "My friends, they talked some sense into me. Better to go down fighting than go down cowering." he answered and Harry nodded.

"Even if it goes against what you said at the inn?" he asked and Marcus shook his head.

"It wasn't even about that man, everything I was saying was just...it was personal not logical. I...resented you. Why did you get to live and Cedric had to die? He was one of my closest friends and I hated you over the fact that you survived and he didn't." Marcus said fidgeting with his bone ring.

Harry nodded and glanced down at his twisting fingers "Where'd you get the ring?" he asked. Marcus looked at the ring made of bright white bone that fully encased his finger.

"Little gift from a friend my first year here." he said and told him some of the highlights of his first year at Hogwarts. That was five years ago, it felt like a century that he was the scared little kid that didn't even know what house he wanted to be in. Now here he was and he was ready to fight and die for both his house and his school.

Harry whistled in disbelief "That's pretty cool I got an Invisibility Cloak my first year here." he said and before he could explain Marcus nodded.

"Yeah I know. You used it to sneak out of the castle a lot." he said and Harry looked at him confused. Marcus sighed Harry was part of the Order now no point in hiding anything "When you first came to Hogwarts Dumbledore asked me to keep an eye on you. It wasn't exactly coincidence that we ran into each other in the forest when you were rescuing Sirius Black. Okay, so that part was coincidence but the rest wasn't I was tasked with keeping a close eye on you." He explained.

Harry nodded "Well, that makes a lot of sense. If anyone has the brains and brawn to protect me its you Dine." he said and Marcus nodded with a smile. They sat there in silence for a second "So, you seem to dislike Dumbledore a bit and yet you fight for him?" he questioned.

"We don't exactly see eye to eye like we used to. I've seen some things Harry, you witnessed Cedric die and the Dark Lord return. I would trade that little scene for any of the ones I experienced. There is a more ancient evil than Voldemort. More powerful and more vicious." Marcus said sadly.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Marcus shook his head "Focus on Voldemort Potter. I'll handle the rest, now come on we better get out of here before that stupid security squad Umbridge made finds us." he said as he got to his feet and helped Harry up. He smiled and Marcus smiled back before wrapping his arm around Harrys shoulder. A little spark of friendship.

Then they walked out of the room together.

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	89. Chapter 89

"I know you know sweetie." Umbridge said sweetly as Marcus sat down in front of her desk. She had been questioning everyone about DA since she caught wind of it. She handed him a cup of tea and he didn't touch it as he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms.

"Know what?" he asked innocently, he was positive that she knew but he wasn't going to make it easy. All of his friends and a good number of Hufflepuff had joined so he had reason to say nothing to her. Her smile wavered and she took a deep breath.

"As High Inquisitor it is my job to end and forbid all illicit activities going on in the school. You will tell me what you know or the consequences may be severe." she said calmly. Marcus chuckled and smirked at her threat.

"Consequences? Consequences to what? Me knowing nothing about some sort of activity I've never heard of?" he asked and Umbridge glared at him before standing up. She walked over to the door and locked it "What are you doing?" Marcus asked confused as she turned around with her wand out.

She walked towards him and held her wand outward towards him "I have tried to be reasonable but in a world of chaos sometimes chaotic methods are needed!" she said. Marcus could've sworn he saw a hint of excitement in her eye as she leveled the wand at his face.

 _"CRUCIO!"_ she said softly, Marcus suddenly felt like glass was stabbing into every inch of his skin. He stiffened in his chair and grit his teeth in pain, he may have screamed he wasn't sure. It was like he was eleven years old again when those Slytherin students momentarily cast the very same curse on him. Only this was a hundred times worse, she dropped her wand and Marcus fell out of his chair breathing heavily.

"Are you out of your mind?! The Cruciatus Curse is illegal! You'll be sent to Azkaban for this!" Marcus shouted but Umbridge only smiled. She walked back to her desk and sat down before she sipped her tea.

"I implore you to provide any evidence that I have done that. It would only be your word and punishments like that are handled by the Minister not the people. My word would be more credible than yours Mr. Dine, now off to class with you I so enjoyed this lovely chat." she said, Marcus finally got his breathing under control and backed out of the room. She flicked her wand and Marcus flinched only to hear the door click and unlock behind him.

He quickly ran out of the room and out of the classroom. The school had become a police state ever since she became the High Inquisitor and he knew she was gunning after Dumbledore. As he ran out Draco and his cronies were dragging in Cho Chang. He gave her a worried look before he ran off to join Harry who was showing them how to conjure a Patronus Charm. He entered the Room of Requirement and saw everyone practicing hard to try and conjure the incredibly advanced spell.

He walked over to Harry "We need to talk later about Umbridge, she's totally lost it." he whispered and he nodded before going back to teaching.

He took out his wands and joined his friends, Anna and Nile had successfully conjured one. A small spectral rabbit danced around Anna and a dolphin swam through the air around Nile. Dan and Sam both were able to cast a shield but couldn't create a corporeal patronus.

Harry walked over "Now you need to focus on the happiest memory you can think of that's what fuels the charm. The happiest and most powerful one you can recall think it clearly and keep it in your mind." he instructed. Marcus nodded and lifted his wands in the air, he went through his mind and tried to think of happy memories, he had many but there was one in particular that he loved more than anything.

It was his first year, Christmas day, Sam had just given him a sweater and thanking him for being his friend. He and his friends were all smiling and happy as they shared their gifts and Streaks was with him too wearing an oversized dog version of his sweater. He had been practicing the spell a lot but now he felt a strength he never knew he had.

 _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ he shouted a burst of white wispy magic erupted from his wands. Everyone stopped what they were doing as the white smoke covered the whole ground and then it formed into a massive creature that scraped against the ceiling as it lifted its head up in a roar.

His patronus was, of course, a dragon.

He lowered his wands and the dragon dissolved, he was stunned as was everyone around him. He knew it was rare for a magical creature to be a corporeal form but a bloody dragon?! Everyone got over their initial shock and started practicing again.

Dan finally cast his charm and a dog ran around his feet, he laughed as the large mastiff sniffed the ground. Sam cast the spell and a large bear formed and lumbered across the room and promptly fell asleep. Everyone was laughing at the scene when suddenly they all heard a rumbling sound and the room shook.

The rumbling got louder and the shaking got more and more violent. Suddenly the glass wall shattered and Harry approached it, he heard Umbridges voice on the other side and he quickly jumped out of the way. The wall exploded and Marcus quickly shielded his friends as it rained stone and dust.

Umbridge walked in with her security squad, Draco had Cho and it was easy to deduce what had happened. She grinned as she caught sight of both Harry and Marcus, knowing that they were the two leaders of DA.

"Get them!" she shrieked and in a moment of brilliant thinking Marcus drew his wands. He flicked his wands up and cut the chain on the large chandelier hanging above them. It came down and crashed int between the two groups.

"RUN!" Harry and Marcus shouted and everyone ran for the door pushing the Slytherins and Umbridge out of the way. Marcus looked back to see Harry being grabbed Marcus quickly apparated and made his way to the west towers. He quickly made his way into Dumbeldores office "We have a big problem!" he said worriedly.

Marcus quickly explained the situation and Dumbledore nodded "Most likely Fudge will be here soon to arrest me. I will not resist but I will not go, I will need a place to hide." he said and Marcus nodded.

"My house, no one would suspect it. Just explain the situation to my parents after all they are Order members too they should be willing." he explained and the Headmaster nodded.

"I fear Umbridge may take over as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts. Will you be able to meet me at your house?" he asked. Marcus was about to say no but then he remembered that Umbridge had cancelled Quidditch and most likely she was going to expel him for being so disrespectful to her.

...He regret nothing!

"Yeah I can meet you and relay any information." he said with a nod.

Dumbledore sighed a little "In the meantime I will look into Morgan Le Fay, see if I can find any weak points and I will let you know. Marcus because I will be on the run I will need you to keep the Order afloat. Shacklebolt will help you keep tabs on the Ministry." he had just finished speaking when they heard shouting from behind the door. Dumbledore grabbed Marcus by the shoulder "Marcus run! Get to your dormitory I need you here to keep Harry safe and protect the younger students from this mad womans wrath!" he said.

Marcus nodded and then remembered "She's using Unforgivable Curses!" he exclaimed and the Headmaster nodded as if he knew already.

"She is a truly awful person Marcus and her time will come where she answers for thos crimes but for now I need you to run!" he said and Marcus quickly ran for the balcony and apparated out of the room. He hit the ground at the courtyard and ran inside he turned the corner and ran right into Mcgonagall.

"Professor!" he gasped knowing full well she probably knew everything being an Order member herself.

She looked around making sure they were alone "Quickly back to the dormitory! I'll send a letter to your parents, we will need all the help we can get Mr. Dine! Go!" she said softly and he nodded. He ran down the halls and to the kitchens, he quickly ducked into the common room where all of the Hufflepuffs were looking sad.

Marcus sighed heavily but sat down with them "It's going to be okay guys." he assured the younger years.

"I promise."

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	90. Chapter 90

_I will not insult my superiors_

 _I will not insult my superiors_

 _I will not insult my superiors_

Marcus winced as he wrote the line over and over again on the piece of paper in front of him. The words he was writing were sliced into the back of his hand now and bleeding. He grit his teeth as he finished the page and Umbridge stepped forward and picked it up "Usually I stop sooner but...I really wanted the message to sink in. Goodbye Mr. Dine." she said in her sweet voice that he knew was full of venom.

He walked out rubbing his hand to try and dull the pain but to no avail. He sighed as he made his way to the common room, as he was walking he heard sniffling. He looked around the corner and saw Caleb clutching his hand tightly silently sobbing. Normally Marcus would have avoided the kid but he was just a child he didn't deserve the punishments Umbridge inflicted.

He ignored the pain in his own hand as he crouched next to him, Caleb looked up and tears were streaming down his cheeks. He gave him a comforting smile before he drew one of his wands and waved it over the cut that said _I will not defend a criminal_ and it slowly began to heal. Marcus smiled "Better?" he asked softly and the boy nodded.

"Umbridge kept saying how you were a criminal and your whole family didn't deserve to be called Purebloods. I yelled at her and told her she was stupid to think that." he said and Marcus let out a long breath. This little kid was tortured because he defended him, he had honestly done nothing wrong and was hurt for it.

Marcus put his hand on his shoulder "Thank you for that Caleb, that took a lot of guts to say that. You shouldn't defend me though I'm not someone you should look up to. I'm reckless and impulsive and on more than one occasion gotten my friends seriously hurt." he explained.

Caleb scoffed "That's not why I look up to you! I look up to you because before you came to Hogwarts people laughed at our house. They told horrible jokes and demeaned us just for being in Hufflepuff. When I heard of Marcus Dine! The Dragon Dueler, I knew that I didn't care what the Sorting Hat said I was going to be in Hufflepuff! You turned the house around and made it stronger, it's because of you the hardly anyone makes fun of us anymore! It's because of you Marcus!" he said.

Marcus was stunned to say the least but eventually he chuckled "Actually...Mark is fine." he said softly. Caleb smiled brightly and Marcus stood up and walked down the tower with Caleb right next to him. For once he wasn't annoyed with the eccentric first year he greatly enjoyed the boys company and happy attitude in this dark time.

When he got into the common room he was greeted by the most unlikely person.

Tonks.

"What are you doing here?" he asked and she smirked before looking at Caleb. He turned to the boy "Hey buddy how about you go get some sleep okay?" he suggested and Caleb nodded before running out of the room. He turned back to the Auror and she was sitting in a chair with her feet propped up.

"I'm here to get you to Dumbledore, undetected of course. Come on!" she said walking over to the portrait of Helga Hufflepuff. She knocked on the portrait to the same tune used to open up the common room and the entire mantle and fireplace started to shift. The fire was extinguished and everything slowly parted revealing a small passageway "Come along fellow rule breaker!" she said with a chuckle.

Marcus was astounded but followed the Auror through the corridor and it seemed to dip down but eventually they came to a metal grate. She pushed the grate up and hauled herself up before helping Marcus up "A few friends and I made that tunnel when I went to school here. Came in handy loads of times, but don't tell anyone okay? This passage is only for troublemakers like us, it's like telling someone you have a truck. Once people know there go your weekends." she rambled as they walked down the path towards Hogsmeade.

Soon they entered the village and Tonks nodded, then they both apparated away. Marcus touched down right outside his house where his mother was waiting for him. She ran up and pulled him into a hug "How are you holding up sweetie? I hear...what happened to your hand?!" she shrieked when she saw the scars.

He quickly explained what happened and his mother looked downright murderous "I am going to strangle that woman! I am going to break her wand in two and shove them in her eye sockets! SEAMUS?! WHERE IS MY WAND?!" she shouted as they walked into the house.

"Remind me to never piss off your mom." Tonks whispered with fear in her eyes as they entered the dining room. Dumbledore, Shacklebolt, Remus, Sirius, and Seamus were all in deep conversation before Marcus and Tonks walked in.

"Ah Marcus! Good we were just discussing our idea with you. It has come to my attention...several times...that the missions I send you on are fairly deadly if not near suicidal sometimes. Now that Shacklebolt and Nymphadora have seen the Knights and their plans they will be spearheading any assault but you? I have something much more crucial." Dumbledore stated and Marcus nodded as he sat down.

Dumbledore looked at Remus and the werewolf handed him a book, the very same book Marcus had read years ago. It was open to a page that had a picture of a ring "Recognize it?" he asked and Marcus nodded. Remus and Sirius both looked worried but Remus continued "This is the Gaunt family ring but that's not its origin. It is the..."

"Ring of the Highlord of the Knights of Le Fay. Whoever possesses it rules the Knights with absolute authority." Marcus finished much to everyones surprise.

Shacklebolt cleared his throat "Last we saw your grandfather posses the ring. We were hoping maybe you could try and retrieve it." he said and Marcus frowned in confusion.

"Why would you want me to get this? Morgan is back, the ring has no true power anymore because no one would go against Morgan herself." he said and everyone nodded in agreement.

Dumbledore took a deep breath "Marcus for reasons I cannot explain right now that ring is vital in our fight. We need it or all will be lost, with Voldemort and with Morgan." he explained. Marcus wanted to argue but he didn't even care anymore, he just wanted his friends and family safe and he was willing to do anything now.

He nodded and everyone let out a sigh of relief as if they were expecting him to say no. Seamus got his sons attention "We aren't sure whether or not my father had the ring when he was overthrown. So I figure it's best to start at his house and see if we can find anything. I'm coming with you because I grew up there and know every inch of that place. What do you say Marcus? Up for a little father/son trip?" he asked with a playful smirk.

Marcus chuckled a little before he shut the book.

"Let's do this!"

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	91. Chapter 91

"This place always gave me the creeps." Seamus muttered as he and Marcus walked down the path through and arch. They passed a large hedge and the house came into view, it was a massive castle almost the size of Hogwarts. It was made of old grey stone complete with towers and balconies, they walked up the steps and Seamus tried the door. Locked, of course, and Seamus scratched his head "With Cassius gone and my mother missing how are we supposed to get in here?" he asked to himself.

"Wait my grandmother is missing?" Marcus asked, he really had never given it a second thought because he saw them so little but what had happened to his grandmother? He remembered her so well but now felt terrible that he never even bothered to think about what happened to her. The last time he had seen her was the night Cassius revealed himself as the Highlord of the Knights. After that she just seemed to vanish into thin air and never contacted them again.

"Yes and that was one of the reasons I volunteered for this mission. She just vanished that night and I'm worried that my father kept her prisoner or something. He has a heavy enchantment on the door I can't get in!" Seamus said frustrated as he put his wand away.

"Here let me try." Marcus said and then kicked the door as hard as he could and they swung open. He rubbed his leg a bit "Dan taught me some American moves. Not everything needs magic." he said with a smirk, his father grinned as they walked into the large house.

They quickly split up and looked around the large house, it was smaller on the inside than the outside portrayed. Marcus walked into a study and found tons of artifacts that no doubt belonged to the Knights. He found armor made from dragon scales and bone, books detailing the ranks and history of the Knights, and even a large dragon skull on a pedestal in the corner.

He looked through the desk and couldn't find the ring but he found a variety of daggers and broken wands. He tried to open the middle drawer but found it locked, he looked around and then grabbed one of the daggers and shoved it into the crease. He pulled back and ripped the drawer open, he threw the dagger aside and searched through it but found no ring only files. He was about to put the files away when he caught sight of his name on one of them.

Marcus opened the file and saw a moving picture of himself, there were a variety of facts about him like age and height. He read through the document and saw that Cassius had been watching him for years, ever since the Dark Lord had been defeated he had kept tabs on every member of the family. He found a file for his father, his mother, his cousins, Sionis Riddle, and even his wife. Cassius must have become increasingly paranoid over the years that he didn't even trust his wife.

As he read through the files he saw that a red X was covering the picture of Sionis and his grandmother. He feared what the X meant but took a deep breath before he lifted them and found a few more smaller files, he read the names and gasped before he ripped up the files in case any of the Knights came snooping in the house. He threw the papers away and left the study to find his father walking towards him "Nothing upstairs, come on lets check the basement." he said and they walked over to a set of stairs leading into a dark cellar.

They lit their wands and slowly made their way down together, Marcus stayed close to his father as they reached the bottom. Marcus gulped hard as Seamus led the way "Stay behind me, if something happens you need to be able to get out." he advised and Marcus was confused. He was about to say something about that when Seamus stopped and turned to face him "Son, I know I can never take back what I said at Hogwarts. I know you probably think that I think less of you now with your scars. I want you to know that I don't, since Remus has been here he told me about his life and his family. How they loved him unconditionally even after he was infected, if they can do that then I can love my son with everything I have when he has just a few scars. I love you son." Seamus said with a small smile.

Marcus smiled too and hugged his father, it was then that he felt something strange, a breeze was hitting his face. He pulled away from his father and looked around, there were no windows or anything.

So where was the breeze coming from?

He followed the wind and he came to a wall, he placed his hand on the wall and could feel the wind coming through the stones. He looked around and saw a bunch of candle stands lining the wall, all of them dusty and covered in cobwebs...except for one. He reached over and pulled the stand and he heard a rumbling, he and Seamus backed up as the wall shifted to reveal a corridor. They quickly drew their wands and journeyed down "I don't like this, my father was way too invested in the Dark Arts back when he was an Auror. He said that some dark creatures could be captured and I'm starting to worry that he was right." Seamus said nervously as they walked together.

They entered a large room and Marcus swiped his wand and ignited all of the candles along the wall and lit up the room. The room nearly made Marcus want to vomit, along the wall were skeletons hanging from shackles. They were old and picked clean of any flesh, some bodies that littered the ground still had flesh on them. One of the bodies still had some hair and Marcus recognized the grey hair...and regal robes.

"Mom." Seamus said softly as he knelt next to the half devoured body, Marcus had never seen his father cry he thought he was this invincible man but seeing him breaking down made him realize that everyone has something to lose. He looked around and recognized the large black coat that Sionis Riddle wore the day Cassius revealed himself.

As his father sobbed he realized something, they were in a large room filled with corpses.

What made those corpses?

He looked around trying to find something that stuck out but all he saw were corpses and skeletons. He kept his wands ready "Dad? We need to get out of here now, whatever killed them may still be in here." Marcus said but his father didn't hear him. He was still crying as he held his dead mothers hand "Dad please we need to go!" Marcus urged as his eyes darted around. Something about this room, it was just a room but he knew something was off he just couldn't figure it out.

His father stood up and wiped the tears away, his shadow casting a near evil image along the wall "You're right." he said looking around. Marcus nodded as Seamus looked around the room, Marcus was next to him and Seamus seemed to be putting some kind of puzzle together in his head. Marcus walked towards one of the skeletons on the wall when Seamus gasped and pulled him back "Stay back!" he shouted and pulled Marcus behind him.

Marcus was about to ask what was wrong when he pointed at the long narrow shadow on the ground. He frowned "So? It's just a shadow." Marcus said but his father was pale and looked terrified.

"It is..." he agreed and then swallowed hard.

"But what's casting it?" he asked slowly. Marcus looked at the shadow and realized his father was right! Nothing in the room could be making a shadow like that in that shape. He turned to look at his father who looked at him with fear in his eyes. They both looked back at the ground and gasped in fright.

The shadow was gone!

"Where did it..." Marcus suddenly felt something close around his leg, something sharp and something strong. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground and was dragged across the room by the creature. His face and neck getting cut by the hundreds of bones that littered the ground, from the very creature that was attacking him.

His father kicked the bones away as he leaped forward and grabbed his arms. Marcus screamed in pain as his and father and the creature started playing a very painful game of Tug of War with him. Finally the creature released his leg and he crashed into his father and they both fell to the ground.

He looked down at his leg and saw blood streaming into his shoe and onto the ground. He winced as he lifted the ripped fabric and saw teeth marks lining his leg his father quickly started to examine it when something rose behind him.

"DAD!" Marcus warned and Seamus seemed to get the message because he rolled to the side as Marcus jumped back. The monster lunged forward and hit the ground, it was then that this creature resembled a living shadow! It was a pure black transparent creature, almost like a ghostly Dementor.

"LETHIFOLD! Marcus we have to go now!" Seamus screamed and he nodded just as the creature lunged again. Marcus rolled to the side and got to his feet before the Lethifold could get its bearings. They quickly ran down the corridor and Marcus looked back to see the black mass sliding along the wall just a few yards behind them.

Marcus was breathing heavily and wincing as he ran as fast as he could trying to ignore the horrible pain in his leg and trying not to stumble. He looked at his father "How do you kill it?!" he asked as they continued running.

Seamus was panting as they were almost to the door "They...They are related to Dementors! They...can't be defeated only stopped!" he wheezed as they continued running. The Lethifold was getting even closer now Marcus could almost hear it as it slithered along the wall towards them. Marcus then remembered that Dementors are stopped by the Patronus Charm! If Lethifolds are related to Dementors...

"Dad get ready to close the door!" he shouted as he drew his wand and quickly turned around to face the black mass. He pointed his wands _"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ he shouted and the white wispy shield erupted from his wands. The Lethifold dropped to the ground and rose in front of the shield, it bashed into the shield as if testing it then it continued to hit it making Marcus sweat in concentration. He started to back up towards the entrance until he reached the door.

His father was to his left "Close it!" he shouted and then thrust his wand forward releasing a blast of the Patronus that pushed the Lethifold down the hall a ways. Seamus pushed the candle stand back into place and the door started to close. The Lethifold started towards the door and it was going to make it with how slow the door was closing.

Marcus cast the charm again and this time it was corporeal. It was the massive dragon and it charged into the corridor and leaped forward onto the black mass. There was an explosion as the Patronus charm was released out of corporeal form and the door shut completely. The Lethifold was trapped once more but Marcus really didn't want to find out if it could squeeze through rocks. His father grabbed his shoulder and together they made their way up the basement.

They didn't stop running until they were out of the house and passed the gate. Marcus and Seamus were both gasping for air and then Marcus collapsed "Son?!" Seamus asked as Marcus struggled to breathe. Seamus lifted the ripped up leg of his jeans and saw that the veins around his bite wound were dark black. His father gasped "Oh man! Shadow poisoning, don't worry we can fix it!" he said as he lifted his son up and carried him away.

"You're going to be okay son." his father promised. Marcus nodded as his vision got darker, the last thing he thought of before he blacked out were those files in the study that he found. They were of his whole family and didn't want the Knights to find them but that wasn't why he ripped them up. The smaller files he found...

They were of his friends.

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	92. Chapter 92

"And that should just about do it!" Amelia said as she finished patching up Marcus's injured leg. They had made it back to the house and Seamus gave him a shadow potion which was designed to combat Lethifold bites. He stood up and put a little pressure on his leg, it hurt but not enough for him not to walk on it, he walked into the dining room just as Seamus finished explaining what happened.

Dumbledore sighed "At this point I'm wondering if this is even coincidence, no matter how small the mission the risk is always great. I'm glad you two are safe! If the ring was not at his house then I cannot think of any other place other than Morgan having acquired it or it being buried with Cassius. We do not know what happened to his body after the Knights purge so we are in the dark. Marcus get back to school, no doubt Umbridge has already figured out that you have left." he explained and Marcus nodded before apparating out of the room.

He hit the courtyard and was glad it was empty because he would have given someone a heart attack. As he was walking he caught sight of two familiar faces, Fred and George Weasley, they pointed to him and ran over. It always amazed Marcus how similar they looked yes they were twins but it was disturbingly amazing.

"Marcus the Dragon King! We need your help man." Fred said and Marcus rolled his eyes at the idiotic nickname. They looked around as if making sure they were alone "We were hoping to get some revenge on Umbridge. We were looking at some fireworks and other amazing things at Zonkos but there is no way we could afford..." Fred started but Marcus raised his hand to silence him.

"Don't care at all on the price. Let's go I'll buy the store if I have to we are getting back at her if it's the last thing we do." Marcus said and the twins laughed as they quickly left the school and made their way into Hogsmeade. As they walked into Zonkos the twins started filling boxes and boxes of things that will most assuredly get them expelled. Marcus didn't care in the slightest though he always had a large amount of money on him for emergencies and right now he considered getting revenge on a cruel and tyrannical witch counted as an emergency.

He didn't even wait to hear the price he just handed over the money and left with the twins behind him. They were all laughing before George frowned "How are we supposed to sneak this past Umbridge and her goons? No way we can get in the castle without getting caught." George asked and Marcus thought for a second. He looked at the large school in the distance and sighed, he had an idea that would absolutely one hundred percent get him suspended or expelled.

"Tell you what, if you can promise that you'll get her back in the best way possible I'll make sure you get those pranks in safely." Marcus asked. Fred and George nodded and then Marcus pulled out a large firework that he had grabbed in the store and handed it to them "Dragon Maker. Trust me on this that will be the finale for this." he said and the twins smiled.

"Hey man, listen no doubt we are going to get expelled for this and Georgie and I had this idea. Kind of a joke shop in Diagon Alley and...we could use a partner. Someone to help fund it before it takes off." Fred offered. Marcus chuckled and shook his hand.

"I'm in. See you guys on the other side." he said before apparating away from them. He landed back in the courtyard and he walked into the Great Hall where a large number of students were eating and chatting. Marcus made his way to the front of the room where Mcgonagall and Flitwick were talking, they saw Marcus and stopped talking. He smirked "Be cool about this." he said before turning around and putting his wand to his throat.

"ATTENTION!" he announced and everyone stopped eating and looked at him "UMBRIDGE IS THE WORST HEADMASTER THIS SCHOOL HAS EVER HAD! I BET THE MINISTER FOR MAGIC IS EVEN DUMBER THAN HER!" he shouted and people started laughing. It didn't even take five seconds before Umbridge walked in with her Inquisitor Squad and Filch. Marcus jumped down and jumped up on one of the tables, he started kicking platters and cups out of the way making a huge mess as he walked down it.

"UMBRIDGE DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HER WAND AND A GOBLIN! ALTHOUGH SHE SHOULD BECAUSE SHE IS JUST AS SHORT AS ONE!" he shouted and everyone was laughing hysterically as he jumped to the next table. Her goons started after him but he kicked up a large plate of chicken and it crashed into them knocking them away. He looked over and saw Mcgonagall and Flitwick making absolutely no attempt to stop him as he ran up the steps and jumped on the professors table.

"FOOD FIGHT!" he shouted and started throwing food at all of the Inquisitorial Squad members that went near him. Everyone in the room joined in and started throwing food at other people. Marcus caught sight of the Weasley twins sneaking by and he grinned as he picked up a handful of mashed potatoes and threw them at Umbridge. They struck her in the face and he was sure he had never seen anyone more mad then she looked in the moment.

Marcus laughed as he hit Draco with a metal plate and ran around the room dunking drinks and food on peoples heads. He had just made it to the doors when he saw Umbridge take out her wand.

 _"REDUCTO!"_ she shouted and the spell struck Marcus in the chest. Now the Reduction Curse is meant to blast the target to pieces thankfully for Marcus he was wearing his jacket so the spell only knocked him back. However he knew for a fact that Umbridge did not know that.

He went flying out of the room and hit the courtyard and rolled across the ground. He coughed and groaned as Umbridge walked out, along with everyone that was in the Great Hall. Marcus quickly got to his feet and brushed off his jacket, Umbridge looked at a loss of words that he wasn't dead.

"Surprised? I thought you would be." Marcus said grinning as Umbridge glared at him. She looked like she was about to kill him but he raised his hand "Just want to remind you 'Headmaster' that half the school is watching you and so are most of the teachers. Choose your next words oh so carefully." he taunted and she lowered her wand.

"Marcus Dine, you are hereby expelled from this school! You are to leave immediately!" she shouted so everyone could hear. He glanced over and saw the Weasley twins looking both guilty but also impressed.

Marcus chuckled before nodding "Yeah I figured as much. I'll see you later guys!" he said laughing before he turned around and apparated out of the courtyard knowing full well he wasn't allowed to do that. He landed in front of Dine Manor and was greeted by Tonks, Moody, Shacklebolt, and Remus.

"What happened to you?!" Tonks asked when she saw how he was covered in a variety of food and dust. Marcus laughed hysterically as he thought about what he just did.

"I got expelled!"

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	93. Chapter 93

"Oh I wish I was there to see it!" Marcus laughed as the Weasley twins relayed what they did to Umbridge. They were laughing hysterically and finally he pulled himself together "Oh and here." he said sliding a piece of paper to them. They read it over "A space is open in Diagon Alley, figure we could grab it as soon as possible. I ran the numbers myself and my parents both think it's a great idea. So...partners?" he asked. The twins didn't hesitate to sign on the dotted line.

Suddenly Rooter flew into the room and dropped a letter in his lap. He quickly read it and cursed "Gotta go guys!" he said and quickly left the twins. He ran out of the Leaky Cauldron and found the nearest telephone booth, he hit the combination his father taught him and suddenly started going down. When the booth hit the ground Marcus opened it and was in the Ministry however it was completely empty. He ran through the halls and followed the instructions of the letter.

He quickly ran up some stairs and opened a door to find Remus, Shacklebolt, Moody, Sirius, and Tonks waiting for him. Moody turned to him "Is Dumbledore on his way?" he asked. Marcus nodded and Moody turned to the group "We have received our orders. Harry is going after the prophecy and the Death Eaters are right behind him. We are his reinforcements! When the time comes we shall help him and overwhelm the Death Eaters." he explained.

Everyone nodded and Sirius looked ready to attack now but they needed the element of surprise. Marcus paced around the room they were in, it was a small office and he started to wonder what Ministry officials did all day. He recalled the one time he went with his father to the Ministry and Marcus decided to explore without his permission, he was only five years old but he ran through the Ministry without a care in the world. Eventually he came across a room just like the one he was in and went inside. He had completely trashed the room, entirely by accident and jumped on the desk pretending to fly.

Then Salvius Marrow walked in and stopped dead when he saw the condition his room was in. He stormed up to Marcus and picked him up by the scruff of his neck "Now what's an idiotic kid like you doing here?!" he had growled at the boy. Marcus started to cry as the man started yelling at him, he whimpered a little but Salvius didn't seem to care "Filthy little half breed!" he said and practically threw Marcus out of the room. He landed on a desk and a pair of scissors dug themselves into his right arm. He cried even harder as Salvius started towards him and then his father rounded the corner and gasped in relief.

"Marcus! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" he shouted and Marcus ran over with tears in his eyes and he had hugged his father tightly. Salvius Marrow had cleared his throat to get his fathers attention and the two Aurors looked at each other.

"Yours Dine?" he asked carefully, Marcus had been confused about that day he always wondered why Marrow seemed almost afraid of his parents but now he knew. If they really understood the depths of his blood supremacy he would be arrested, he attacked a child thinking he was a halfblood.

Seamus had nodded and eyed him suspiciously "Yes, this is my son Marcus. Everything okay here?" he asked though more of demanded. Seamus was the Head of the Auror Office so he was Marrows superior but he never really flaunted that little fact. However that day Seamus used it to understand why Marcus was bleeding and why an Auror looked ready to kill his son.

"Everything's totally fine...just a little misunderstanding between me and the little one here. Have a nice day guys." he said before skulking off.

Seamus crouched down and flicked his wand across his arm to seal the cut. Once the bleeding stopped he looked his son in the eye "Son, never do that again okay? You never truly know what some people might do. You never know the extant to which they will go to get revenge. Especially with someone as unstable as Salvius Marrow. Promise me you will never do that again!" he said and Marcus nodded.

"I promise." he squeaked.

All of this ran through his head as he gazed through a window to see the main floor of the Ministry. The portrait of Cornelius Fudge blowing in the wind, he lifted his jacket up on the right sleeve, just behind his wrist was a faint white line. It was completely unnoticeable unless he pointed it out, it was a thin white line running up his arm from the scissors he landed on. He felt someone stand next to him and he quickly lowered his sleeve to see Tonks standing there.

"Scared?" she asked with a smirk, Marcus shrugged as he sat on the windowsill. Tonks nodded and sat next to him she looked like she was about to say something when Sirius burst through the door looking worried.

"We have to go! Now!" he said and apparated into bright white light. Marcus and Tonks ran out the door with the others and apparated together, he could see as he flew threw the Ministry. He zoomed through the halls and followed the other Order members into a dark chamber where a large arch was displayed in the center. He saw all of the Death Eaters surrounding Harry and his friends, he dove down and tackled one of them. As he and the Death Eater rolled across the ground the others advanced and attacked the other dark wizards.

He got to his feet and saw Neville running towards him "Come on!" Marcus shouted and dragged Neville next to Luna behind a rock. A blast hit the rock "Stay here!" he ordered before he heard a shout behind him. He turned and the Death Eater he had tackled drew two wands and faced him, Marcus gulped as he realized who this man was.

Rabastan Lestrange, the other dual wielding wizard.

"Come on then Dragon Dueler! Let's see what you got!" Lestrange shouted and Marcus grit his teeth before he held his wands up and fired a charm just as Lestrange fired back. Their spells met and it was like playing a deadly game of chicken, whoever moved first would be hit, Marcus glanced at the wall next to them for a second and made a decision.

He jerked his wands to the side and the waves of energy turned and hit the wall, rubble and dust blasted out of the wall knocking both Rabastan and Marcus to the ground. He was coughing as the dust started to clear and he quickly got to his feet and saw Neville and Luna looking worried, Rabastan would have a clear shot of them if he wanted to.

Marcus ran over "Come on we have to go!" he ordered and they ran along the edges of the room trying to get to the other Order members. Rabastan appeared above them and Marcus knew he can't fight him with an advantage because he also had two wands. Marcus pointed to the stones that were coming up _"REDUCTO!"_ he shouted and the rock exploded into thousands of little pieces right as he flew over it.

Rabastan was knocked to the ground and was unconscious as he laid there bleeding. Marcus and the others reached Moody and Tonks and kept them protected. Tonks jumped down and gasped "Dine behind you!" she shouted as she drew her wand. Marcus was way ahead of her as he whirled around and pointed both wands at Dolohov and blasted him the chest, the double charm sent him flying across the room and crashing into the wall. Marcus turned back and Tonks looked impressed "Remind me to get a second wand." she said and Marcus chuckled.

A blast hit right next to them and they both stood back to back as the Death Eaters swarmed them. Dolohov approached Tonks as Rabastan came back to face Marcus again, the side of his head cut and blood covered half his face. He fired a curse and Marcus blocked it, he could hear Tonks grunting as he she fought Dolohov, Marcus fought back but Rabastan seemed just as strong and well trained with two wands just like Marcus.

"Not bad child but you know nothing!" Lestrange shouted before he put both his wands facing each other, he shouted a curse he couldn't make out and a blast of red energy erupted in a thin line and struck Marcus, Tonks, and even Dolohov sending them all to the ground.

Rabastan walked over laughing "The wands are brothers, they refuse to harm one another, makes regular spells into bombs of energy! Of course you won't be alive long enough to..." he started but Marcus wasn't as dazed as he appeared. He slowly gripped one of his wands and pointed them at Lestrange as he was speaking.

 _"FLIPENDO!"_ he shouted and Rabastan was blasted back and struck his head on a large rock and collapsed. Marcus winced as he got to his feet, he looked up the arch and saw a horrifying sight.

Sirius black being hit and flying into the arch, then he vanished. Marcus gasped as Harry practically broke down and cried, he heard chuckling and Marcus glanced over to see Bellatrix Lestrange laughing singing about how she killed Sirius Black. Harry ran after her and Marcus ran after him only to be grabbed by Moody "No Dine! Let his friends go after him! We need to go now! The Order cannot be exposed!" he said. Marcus groaned but nodded as he ran over to Remus, Tonks, and Shacklebolt.

Remus looked heartbroken but Marcus grabbed his shoulder and gave him a smile "We have to go." he said softly. Remus nodded and together the Order members all turned into white light as they apparated away. Marcus was the last one to leave but as he looked around the room to the devastation that had been caused in this one littler room he thought of one thing.

Things were only going to get worse.

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	94. Chapter 94

Marcus walked into the Headmasters office where Dumbledore seemed to be settling in again. He looked over and saw Marcus and smiled "Good to see you Marcus. As the Headmaster once more you are officially no longer expelled. I'll be happy to see you next year for your final year." he said and Marcus grinned and nodded.

"I was hoping Professor that maybe I could just enjoy my final year? Like no ties with the Order just have fun my last year?" he asked curiously as he leaned against the wall.

Dumbledore chuckled "Of course Marcus. Do you mind if I ask for one more mission from you though? I know it is the end of the year and so much has happened but with Voldemorts public return things are going to be even more chaotic. I could really use your help with this last assignment." he said.

Marcus thought it over but nodded in the end, better to just finish what was needed and move on. Dumbledore smiled "Fantastic! I believe that there may be a connection to the dark lord in a certain cave. I cannot be sure but I need you to investigate and see if there is anything." he said and Marcus grinned as Dumbledore handed him a letter containing coordinates.

"Just investigating? Yeah I'm your man!" he said before he walked down the steps and out of the office. He made his way down the tower and into the Great Hall where Sam and Nile were giving Dan and Anna hugs. Marcus sighed he knew that this was Dan and Annas last year he never wanted to think about not seeing his friends again. He walked over and gave Anna a hug before he grabbed Dans hand and led him over to the end of the table and they sat down.

"My parents got me a job at MACUSA. I'll be heading to America at the start of next term. I've been thinking about this a lot and I just can't think of a way that we can stay together. Mark I'm so sorry but..." he was cut off by Marcus kissing him.

Marcus pulled away and smiled softly "Dan I was thinking the same thing. If we tried long distance it could strain our relationship beyond repair and I don't want that. Better to end it while we still care for each other." he explained and Dan nodded with tears in his eyes.

"So...we are breaking up?" he asked.

Marcus sighed "I never liked those words. Makes people think that something was wrong in the relationship. That something was broken but that's far from the case. We are just ending our relationship and moving on." Marcus explained and Dan nodded with a small smile.

They stood up and Dan pulled him into a hug "I loved every minute of it Dine. Always know that." he said and Marcus chuckled before giving him a kiss on the cheek. They walked back over to their friends and Marcus gave them both one last hug before they left to go pack.

Marcus was about to pack too when Caleb ran over with a big smile on his face "Hey! Do you want to hang out?!" he asked energetically bouncing on the balls of his feet. Marcus had grown used to the little kids antics and hyperactive behavior and had even come to appreciate it.

"Sorry little man, I have some stuff I gotta do." he said before he pulled out the paper of coordinates and started towards the door. He wanted to get this investigation done so he could say one last goodbye to his friends before they left. He stepped out into the courtyard and stretched his back before taking a deep breath, he concentrated and was ready to apparate.

"Surprise!" came the voice of Caleb as he jumped on his back just as Marcus apparated. He didn't focus on that as he had to concentrate and he landed at a small rocky shore and he and Caleb rolled across the sharp rock.

Marcus groaned as he looked at the now second year Hufflepuff with a small glare "Why did you do that?! This could be dangerous!" he shouted over the roar of the waves crashing. Caleb looked a little embarrassed as he blushed brightly.

"I just...I wanted to help! You don't have to do things alone!" Caleb insisted and Marcus was about to take him back to Hogwarts but he was on a time crunch. He didn't have enough time to take him back to Hogwarts and find Dumbledore to explain why Marcus was there and then come back.

"Okay okay! You can stay but you stay behind me! Do not wander off! Keep your wand ready and at any sign of danger you run! Understand?!" he ordered and the boy nodded as he drew his wand. Marcus sighed in frustration but turned around to see the massive cave looming over him, it looked like a dagger had cut its way into the cliffside and this was the wound.

He lit his wand and started into the cave with Caleb barely a foot behind him, he was grabbing at his jacket as if to make sure he didn't get lost. As they looked through the cave Marcus felt a chill run down his spine as if there was something dark somewhere nearby, something evil.

He took a deep breath as a particular loud crash from outside echoed into the cave and Caleb whimpered and quickly grabbed Marcus by the arm. Marcus pat him on the back to reassure him as they walked deeper and deeper. Marcus turned a corner and saw a large opening that led into what looked like a smaller chamber, he calmed himself down as he walked through the small cut in the wall.

As he entered the next room he realized that the second chamber was unbelievably massive! It was a massive lake and a small island stood in the center, how was this even possible. Caleb walked next to him and looked amazed "Wow! This is so cool!" he said and his voice echoed slightly.

"It is isn't it?" a voice next to them said.

A voice Marcus recognized!

They turned and standing a few yards away from them hidden in the shadows was Cassius! He was riddled in scars and cuts and the look on his face said that he was not happy to see Marcus. He started to lift his wand when he heard a growl behind him, he turned to find a massive Chimaera lumbering towards him. A single black streak of fur ran through its mane and face as it growled.

"Streaks?" Marcus said in a hushed whisper and his grandfather laughed loudly. His laughter ringing through the entire cave. Marcus was terrified as he backed up, then Caleb stepped forward with a glare.

"Get outta here creep! We were here first!" he shouted and Cassius looked amused as he looked at the brave little boy in front of him.

Then everything went in slow motion. Cassius lifted his wand towards Caleb, Marcus moved forward to try and protect him, Streaks leaped forward with his snake tale wrapping around his neck keeping him back, Caleb looked worried now as he saw Marcus being strangled, then Cassius aimed his wand at the boy.

 _"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_ he shouted.

"NO!" Marcus screamed as a burst of green energy shot out and hit Caleb in the chest. The boy crumbled to the ground and rolled down the small hill they were on until he hit the bottom, his arm laying motionless in the water. Marcus was breathing heavily with tears in his eyes as he saw the little boy that looked up to him, the bright and energetic child that saw him as his hero was dead!

Cassius chuckled as he put his wand away "Now..." he said menacingly as he walked up to Marcus.

"Let's talk son."

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	95. Chapter 95

"Oh come now boy pull yourself together!" Cassius growled but Marcus wasn't listening. He struggled with the snake wrapped around his neck as he sobbed, he couldn't take his eyes off of Calebs lifeless body laying just a few feet away. What had he done?! This was supposed to just be an investigation! Why did he let Caleb join?! Why didn't he just take him back?!

"Grandfather...please..." he muttered softly as he stared at the dead boy. Cassius sighed in annoyance but waved his hand and Streaks released his neck. Marcus immediately rushed down the hill ignoring the fact that his wands weren't with him and he was defenseless. He reach Caleb and knelt down, he slowly and carefully rolled the boy over and gasped lightly when he saw his unmoving eyes. More tears streamed down his cheeks "Caleb...oh god!" he said and cried into the boys chest, this was his fault! No going around it it was because of him that this little boy was now dead! He held him close "I'm so sorry Caleb...oh god I'm so sorry!" he muttered through his sobs.

He felt a hand on his head and then it gripped his hair, Marcus screamed as he was yanked away. Calebs body remained on the ground as Cassius dragged him back towards the entrance. He threw him in front of Streaks and Marcus slowly looked up to the growling and frothing mouth of the massive Chimaera. He backed away but the Chimaera stalked towards him with its head low and its teeth bared.

Marcus pressed himself against the wall, he needed to get out of there but he didn't know how. Cassius chuckled as he walked towards him "How? How are you still alive?!" Marcus asked astonished. Cassius felt the scars on his face and winced as he remembered.

"That day, the day I was disowned and stripped of my rank! Oh I was nearly dead alright had it not been for you! The dragon rebellion distracted everyone long enough for me to make an escape. I ran and joined the Death Eaters but they are nothing to me. For months the only thing keeping me alive has been the thought of breaking you. Of _killing_ you! I don't care about muggles, Morgana, or even the Dark Lord! I am going to kill you here and now!" he roared in anger.

Marcus whimpered as he stared at the massive creature in front of him. Cassius didn't care as he continued "I rose through the ranks of the Death Eaters so easily. The Dark Lord tasked me with a mission to check a cave that he was hoping he could use as a prison of sorts. I saw through his guise though he sent me here to die, I know what lies in the water of this cave. The Dark Lord is smart and clever but not well enough to trick me! This place however will be the place where you die dear grandson." he growled.

Marcus gulped hard as he looked around to try and find something fight with but he found nothing. As Cassius spoke Marcus saw something glinting in his hand. The ring! The ring the Order needed! It was almost like Dumbledore...knew that Cassius was going to be here. Marcus glared as anger coursed through him, Dumbledore had tricked him! He said it was an investigation but Dumbledore knew it was more than that! He knew Marcus wouldn't hesitate to fight Cassius and that he was the only one that could survive an encounter with him because Cassius was always one with the dramatics.

"And now we come to the end of the show. The finale! Beast? Kill him!" Cassius ordered and Streaks leaped forward. Marcus snapped his fingers and a blast of red shot from his fingers and exploded in front of them. Cassius winced loudly and averted his eyes as Streaks grunted at the loud noise and close his eyes. Marcus took this opportunity to run as fast as he could, he saw a crack in the wall and ducked into it. He heard Cassius scream in rage "KILL HIM!" he shouted.

He had just reached the other side when Streaks started ripping the stone away after him. Marcus kept running as he cut a corner and tried to navigate the massive maze of stone. He was breathing heavily as he ran and found a dead end. He whimpered a little before trying to run back and he could hear Streaks growling and it was echoing through the whole cave system. Marcus turned around and started running again, he turned around and saw Streaks rushing towards him, he dove to the side just as he leaped forward and Streaks crashed into the wall.

The Chimaera fell to the ground and began snoring Marcus gulped in air as he tried to understand where he was. He tried to figure out this cave but it was so confusing and twisting, he looked down and saw massive paw prints in the dusty ground. He followed them until he came across the ripped apart wall and he quickly ducked through and came back to the lake. Cassius was nowhere to be seen but Caleb still laid on the ground, Marcus felt like crying again as he saw him.

He started towards the boy he was leaving this place and he was taking his body back, it was the very least he could for what he had done. As he was walking he saw his wands and ignored them as he made his way down. He was halfway down when he heard rocks fall behind him, he dove to the side as a green light hit right where he was previously standing. He ran towards the boy but then he heard Cassius behind him.

 _"INCARCEROUS!"_ he shouted and suddenly Marcus found himself on the ground with a rope tying itself around him. It wrapped around his neck and Marcus gagged as he lost the ability to breathe. Cassius chuckled as he made his way down, he stood next to Caleb and kicked his body into the water. Marcus felt tears sting his cheeks again as the body slowly floated in the shallow water, he heard loud footsteps and Streaks bounded towards his master.

Cassius grinned "You know you truly are a bright child and it's almost a shame to kill you. When I took your pathetic little pet away from you I had to wipe his memory just as I had yours. He had grown fond of you, the idiotic beast and yet he will be the one to kill you! Rip him apart!" he ordered and Streaks walked over again baring his teeth.

Something clicked in Marcus as he struggled to free himself, Streaks had the same memory charm he had been hit with? When they mentioned the memory the charm had shattered completely. Maybe...just maybe he could reason with his old pet.

"Streaks?" he said softly as he gasped for air. The Chimaera stopped momentarily confused but then continued forward. Marcus was losing the battle, he was close to blacking out "Streaks...It's me boy! It's Marcus! Remember how I used to care for you? How I made sure you were loved and taken care of?" he said as his vision started to dim. The Chimaera had stopped walking it was only a foot away from him "Please boy...remember." he said as everything doubled and became fuzzy, his arms went slack and let go of the ropes.

Then a massive paw swiped across his chest and snapped the ropes to pieces. Marcus gasped for air and he heard Cassius roar and start towards him only for the snake of his tail to slam into Cassius and knock him to the ground. Marcus heard the familiar crack of a wand breaking as he looked up and saw Streaks staring at him and then the massive hybrid creature leaned forward and licked his face. Marcus gave a soft laugh as the snake tail started wagging and the massive beast continued to lick his face.

"I missed you too boy. Now please can you go get Caleb? Bring him here?" he asked pointing to the body. Streaks looked at where he was pointing and then leaped into the water. Marcus smiled a little he had his best friend back, it was short lived however because a fist connected with his cheek. He fell to the ground and Cassius was on top of him, his hands around his throat. the first thing Marcus wondered was what is with this guy and strangling the second was that his grandfather was a lot stronger than he looked. He grabbed his hands and tried to push him off but he had no luck as he squeezed his windpipe more.

"You have ruined everything! I swear I will kill you if it's the last thing I...AGH!" he screamed as a snake wrapped around his neck. Marcus gasped for air as Streaks roared and pulled his tail back, Cassius gasped for air as he stumbled backwards. Marcus quickly made his way up the hill and grabbed his wands, he looked in his other hand and opened it. He had grabbed the ring from Cassius when Streaks attacked, he didn't know why Dumbledore wanted it but he had to answer for what he did!

He looked back and saw Streaks jump further into the water and Cassius stumbled and fell into the water as well. He looked terrified now and Marcus caught Calebs body drifting nearby. He made his way down and splashed through the water towards the body. He was maybe five feet away when a grotesque and skeletal like hand burst out in front of him and tried to grab at him. Marcus freaked out and fell backwards, he tried to maneuver around but found more hands reaching out.

Then the creature revealed themselves and Marcus recognized an Inferius! He started to get pushed back as the undead like creatures started towards him, he started to cry again as he saw Calebs body shake and then get dragged under. He ran back to the shore and saw Streaks leap into a particularly deep part of the lake and Cassius was dragged with him. Marcus could only watch as the Inferi swarmed over both Cassius and Streaks, the Chimaera gave Marcus one last loving look before it submerged under the water.

Cassius screamed in pain as the Inferi attacked him and then he was dragged under the water with Streaks as well.

Then it was silent, the lake became still again as if nothing had ever happened. Marcus fell to his knees and sobbed, he had lost Caleb and then he lost Streaks again! He heard growling and looked up to see the Inferi crawling out of the water towards him. Marcus quickly backed up and put the ring in his pocket and sheathed his wands before running as fast as he could out of the cave. As he left the entrance seemed to seal itself as he ran through the original part of the cave and could hear the waves crashing in the shore. He quickly apparated out of this dark and evil place.

He landed at Hogwarts and he saw his friends standing there looking around, finally Sam saw him and shouted happily. They all ran towards him but stopped when they saw his wet clothes, the cuts all over him, and the tears running down his cheeks. He marched passed them and they followed asking questions but he couldn't hear anything. He made his way up the towers until he came to the Headmasters office, he didn't even knock he kicked the door open and saw Dumbledore talking with Snape.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Snape said angrily he looked like he was about to say something else but Marcus cut him off.

"SHUT UP SEVERUS! SHUT YOUR MOUTH RIGHT NOW OR I WILL THROW YOU OFF THE TOWER!" he screamed and Snape shut his mouth and actually looked a little scared. His friends all stayed near the entrance as Marcus marched up to the Headmaster with a glare.

He slammed his hands down making everything on the desk shake "Eleven years old. Eleven years old! That's how old Caleb Montgomery was and now he is dead!" he shouted and he heard his friends and even Snape gasp.

Dumbledore looked shocked "What happened?!" he asked but Marcus wasn't falling for it.

"You know damn well what happened Albus! You know exactly what happened! Say it...SAY IT!" he screamed and Dumbledore gulped hard and took a deep breath.

"I imagine that you ran into Cassius Dine?" he asked softly and Marcus laughed but nothing was funny.

He looked back at the Headmaster "I'm done. You told me years ago that if I ever want out then I can leave and guess what?! That's exactly what I'm going to do!" he said loudly before he started walking away. Dumbledore started after him but Marcus turned to face him "Don't think you can convince me back! I am done with you!" he said and started away before he reached into his pocket. He stopped "Oh no wait." he said before he turned and threw the ring at Dumbledore, it bounced off his chest and clattered to the ground.

"Now I'm done!"

Marcus pushed passed his friends and walked down the stairs.

Feeling hollow inside.

 **END OF YEAR SIX!**

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	96. Chapter 96

**START OF YEAR SEVEN**

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Marcus stepped into the joke shop the Weasley twins had started and he almost smiled at the large amount of jokes and pranks. He saw the twins announcing new ideas that they came up with until they saw Marcus. Fred said something to George and he nodded and walked up the stairs. Fred made his way down and directed Marcus over to an isolated corner "Hey buddy can you believe this!? We never expected it to take off like this!" he said with a grin.

"Yeah it's...really something." he muttered and Fred sighed heavily. Just then George pushed through the crowd holding a sealed envelope, he walked up to them with a grin until Fred gave him a look and he stopped smiling.

"Here Marcus, it's your cut of the profits. You helped us when we needed it only fair you get compensated as a partner." he said handing the check to Marcus. He looked at it and opened it, anyone else would have jumped with joy over the amount of money he was staring at but he just nodded. He shook their hands and they both looked sympathetic "Hey man, we heard about what happened...you okay?" George asked.

Marcus shook his head "No not really. I got a kid killed so I don't think that will ever be okay." he said and the twins looked down. Marcus sighed "Sorry, you guys are doing a great job. I never expected it to take off the way it did. You made all of these pranks?" he asked curiously.

The twins both perked up and Fred walked over to grab something and suddenly Marcus felt something on his back. He looked on his shoulder and found Nax snuggling there, ever since Streaks he had not let his dragon out of his sight. The dragon looked at him and bowed his head "It's okay Nax, go back to sleep." he said with a smile and Nax nodded before coiling his tail around his neck for support and then promptly fell asleep.

Fred walked back holding a bag "Here just in case you feel in the mood, a bunch of Peruvian Darkness Powder in case you feel up for a little fun. On the house of course for our partner." George explained and Marcus couldn't suppress the smile.

He shook their hands "Thanks guys. Good luck with everything." he said before walking out. He ran into Harry, Ron, and Hermione on his way out and they looked at him sympathetically but Marcus rolled his eyes and pushed through them.

He made his way down the alley and as he was walking he saw Draco Malfoy and his mother along with some people he recognized, such as Fenrir Greyback. He didn't even bother stopping as he walked towards them on his way to Gringotts.

"Well if it isn't Double Duel..." Marcus pushed his shoulder against Draco and knocked him to the ground in the middle of him speaking. He fell to the ground and Narcissa and Fenrir just stared at him as he kept walking. He didn't care anymore, the sky was gloomy and he felt just as bad, he had gotten Caleb killed and he couldn't even get his body to properly bury him. He felt because it was his fault he was the one that would tell the Montgomery family what happened. They immediately started to cry and they yelled at him and screamed and Mrs. Montgomery even started to hit his chest in anger and he let her because he had deserved it. Marcus had cried too but after that ordeal he just felt numb everyday, food tasted bland, he rarely smiled, he even stopped sending letters to his friends because everything was just too painful.

He sighed heavily and entered Gringotts to get his yearly allowance for school.

 **Later that day.**

Marcus sat down in a booth on the train and stared out the window. Nax flew around him and climbed up the booth playfully but Marcus didn't laugh. He heard a knock behind him and saw his friends, Sam and Nile, standing there looking nervous.

"Can we sit?" Nile asked and he nodded letting his two closest friends sit across from him. After a few minutes of silence Nile spoke up "How you feeling man?" he asked and Marcus glared at him.

"I got a child killed, how do you think I'm feeling wise ass?!" he growled and Nile nodded. They both shut up and Marcus sighed heavily "Sorry, you're trying to make me feel better. I get that." he said softly.

"We are all starting to worry, Anna too she wrote us a letter asking us to check up on you. You really shouldn't be alone Mark." Sam said and Marcus just rolled his eyes and stared out the window again. He was silent and his friends kept trying to cheer him up but he didn't care what they were doing. He heard a thump and looked over to see Harry Potter walking by their booth with his invisibility cloak.

Normally Marcus would have followed him to make sure he was okay but he didn't care anymore. Harry can be attacked for all he cares now, he was done with the Order of the Phoenix and he was done with Dumbledore. He recalled his desk at home, there were about a hundred letters from various Order members and he never responded. The only members he still talked to was Tonks and Remus because they were dating and Remus was still the groundskeeper to his family.

Nax crawled onto his arm but Marcus shrugged the dragon off. Nax fell on the booth and didn't try again, he only coiled around and laid next to him. He had lost so much ever since he joined the Order and he didn't want anymore responsibility. All he wanted was to focus on his classes, pass his exams, and then join Newt Scamander and Charlie Weasley in Romania to handle the dragons there.

He had told his friends that plan but what he didn't tell them was that when he graduated he was going to sever all ties with them. He had gotten them hurt so much ever since he started at Hogwarts and his heart couldn't take it anymore. He was done putting the people he cared about through so much pain that he caused. He was done watching his friends die. He sighed heavily as the Sun dipped over the hills and turned the sky blood red, it would have been beautiful but all Marcus could think about was what he had done over the years.

His friends had asked him if he was okay?

He was nowhere near okay.

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	97. Chapter 97

"Okay guys, welcome to Dueling Club, my name is Marcus Dine and we are going to try some offensive spells today." Marcus said, the students quickly paired up and started firing at each other, colorful spells flashing everywhere in the room.

As Marcus was looking around he caught sight of Snape watching over the room, sticking to the shadows like an emo or a vampire. He rolled his eyes and stepped down to help the duelists with their spells.

Eventually it was time for action. Since he couldn't keep up with any tournaments as he was the sole instructor now he decided to just have students duel throughout the year.

Some people wanted to duel their friends and others wanted to duel Marcus, much to his annoyance. Sometimes his 'fans' would get very annoying, he tries to brush them off and get them to admire someone more worthwhile.

Seeing new first years hover around him leaves a bad taste in his mouth, they look so much like…

Marcus shook his head clear of his thoughts and continues assisting some struggling Hufflepuffs, doing his best to dodge a series of dueling requests. His dueling prowess was known throughout the school now and lots of students wanted to try their luck with him.

He reluctantly allowed himself to combat with some students, you learn better against stronger opponents after all. The first to step up was a third year Gryffindor, he drew his wand and fired at Marcus. He blocked with ease and then fired back hitting him in the chest and sending him to the ground.

"Next." he yelled, voice a little harsher than people remember. Another student came up, it was a fifth year Ravenclaw. She drew her wand and fired a number of curses and hexes but Marcus blocked each one. He fired through his defense and sent her to the ground in no time at all.

One after another more and more students came up and were toppled down quickly in a short manner. Most people would be upset, but all of the students left with smiles on their faces, giggling and bragging to their friends how they fought the legendary 'Double Duel Dine'.

Finally Sam climbed up with a grin and he raised his wand, Marcus was a little shocked it wasn't like Sam to be so forward in dueling. He raised his wand and Marcus shrugged and lifted his wands up, Sam fired and Marcus blocked. Marcus fired back but Sam blocked with relative ease, Marcus was almost impressed with how fast he was moving his wand to block and fire.

Marcus started pressing harder, firing a few more advanced spells and Sam was still able to block him. As he attacked his thoughts trailed to Cassius, if he had been stronger he could have fought back. Had he been faster he could have saved Caleb. Had he been smarter he would've seen what Dumbledore had been planning!

Marcus grit his teeth as his thoughts became hazy and rage overtook him. He dropped his shield and fired a litany of curses and charms towards the unprepared Hufflepuff. Sam only had time to gasp before his shield was broken and the rest of the spells struck his chest.

Sam flew back, his wand dropping to the ground as he slammed into the wall head first. He dropped to the ground and remained motionless, Nile ran over and few other students went to check on him. Marcus was breathing heavily as he lowered his wands and realized what he did.

Nile quickly jumped up and walked over to Marcus who remained motionless "You okay?" he asked softly, Marcus nodded with a glare. Nile gulped as he looked at his wands "Maybe I should hold on to those for a while?" he suggested and Marcus slapped his hand away and steeled his gaze.

"Back off!" he snapped and jumped off the dueling platform and pushed passed the crowd and out the door. He walked through the stone halls gripping his wands so hard it was nearly painful, he had just attacked Sam! He had just attacked his friend! What kind of person was he where he just ruthlessly attacks someone he cares about?!

As he was walking he heard footsteps and turned to see Snape walking up to him. He glared at the Head of Slytherin House but he was unfazed as he stopped in front of him. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Snape spoke "Come with me Mr. Dine." he said then turned around and started walking. Marcus didn't get the chance to answer but followed him anyway, they walked through the twisting halls until they reached the potions classroom.

Snape shut the door and locked it before going over to his desk and rifling through it. After a few minutes he pulled out a small box that looked like one of those black boxes used when proposing. Marcus walked forward and eyed Snape curiously before he lifted the top of the box to reveal a small stone.

He recognized the insignia, it was the very same stone that was in the ring he had pulled off of Cassius last year. He glared at Snape "What?! Was this just to insult me?! To make me relive what I caused?! That's pretty cruel even for you Severus!" he growled.

Snape sighed and pushed the box towards him "Take the stone in your hand and spin it three times." he instructed. Marcus frowned in confusion but grabbed the small purple stone, he held it in his hand and twirled three times. He looked back at Snape and scoffed, he had just made him do something pointless? Snape really is a weird guy.

Marcus turned around and forgot how to breathe, he almost dropped the stone in his hand but he knew that it was the cause of it. He was staring at a young boy, no older than eleven, his black hair eccentric and messy, he had a small smile on his face as he had his arms crossed.

A tear fell down Marcus' cheek as he stared at the young Hufflepuff before him.

"Caleb."

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 **THANK YOU TRAX! HE WROTE A BUNCH OF THE DUELING SCENE! LOVE YA BUDDY!**

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	98. Chapter 98

Snape left the room while Marcus fell to his knees in shame in front of the ghost of the little boy that was murdered in front of him. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he lowered his head not able to look Caleb in the eye. Finally he opened his mouth "I...I am so sorry!" he choked on the words as he sobbed and it was silent in the room.

"Why?" Caleb asked confused, Marcus looked up in astonishment at the boys confusion.

"I...I-I...I got you killed. I'm the reason you're dead. If I had just brought you back to Hogwarts..." Marcus said through his sobs.

"Then I just would have found another way to follow you and die. I wasn't not going to go with you, if you brought me back to Hogwarts I would have found some other way to join you. My death was my fault man, not yours I was the one that egged that crazy dude on, I was the one who was in over his head. It wasn't you Mark." he said sitting on the ground to join Marcus.

He shook his head and looked into the boys eyes, he was pale but his hazel eyes were still the same. Full of excitement and wonder that only an innocent child could have, an innocent child that Marcus had killed! He lowered his head again "If I hadn't gone..." he started.

"But you did! Mark no matter how you look at it it's not your fault! It's mine!" he practically shouted making Marcus wince.

"Why...How are you even here?" he asked curiously as he looked at the boy again. He was just a ghost but Marcus swore he saw the boy blush a little.

Caleb cleared his throat "I never really left your side Mark. I'm your biggest fan after all. Why are you so gloomy and mean to your friends? Is it because of what happened? Your friends are just trying to cheer you up, don't push them away." he said.

Marcus nodded and took a shaky breath, he was being pretty mean and distant to his friends. They really were trying to help him, he had to apologize to them as soon as he could. He looked at Caleb and noticed something off about the boy, yes he was dead but before you could tell his emotion just by looking at him. Now, he was simply...neutral, he showed no emotion whatsoever. The thought made Marcus shiver as he looked at the stone in his hand, there was an old story about a stone that could bring back the dead.

He shook the thought out of his head, it was just a story he remembered his father telling him the story when he was a kid. How there were three brothers and three objects were created, one by one they were subject to Death save the youngest brother who did not fear it. His father used to say that it was a real story how the in reality it was the Peverells, Marcus' ancestor, that created the items and that they were lost.

His grandfather said they were the direct descendants of Antioch Peverell, the oldest brother, and that he had a wand. A wand so powerful that no other wand could match it, it was during that part of the story that his grandfather interrupted his father and told Marcus of a second wand.

Cassius claimed that before the Peverells there was a wand that was lost to the ages. A wand that before that story was considered the most powerful wand in existence...

The Dragon Wand, made not from wood but from dragon bone and the core is a mystery to all but its creator. Cassius claimed he knew where it was and looking back on it, it may have just been the ravings of a madman. However as he looked at Caleb, the ghost of the young boy who looked up to him he knew that there was no denying it.

He was holding the Resurrection Stone, the Deathly Hallows were real. He shivered at the thought, if the Resurrection Stone existed that meant so did the Cloak of Invisibility and the Elder Wand. If Morgan or Voldemort ever got their hands on the wand they would be unstoppable! He couldn't let that happen, he looked at Caleb one last time "You believe in me? Even after what happened?" he asked softly.

Caleb gave a soft chuckle "I will always believe in you." he answered and Marcus smiled. He gently placed the stone back in the box and shut it, he turned around and Caleb was gone. He took a deep breath and could almost feel Caleb still watching him, he took a deep breath before walking out the door.

Snape was standing by the door "Finally finished crying have you?" he snarled and Marcus grinned. He just pat Snape on the shoulder and then left the professor to go do whatever it was he did. He made his way out of the dungeons when a thought occurred to him, he had hurt Sam! He had to apologize right away, he had also insulted Nile and he knew it hurt when he snapped at him.

He figured Sam would most likely be in the infirmary after a hit like that so he made his way through the twisting halls. He came up to the Hospital and pushed the door open to an interesting sight.

Sam was lying in a bed with a bandage around his head, two people were standing next to the bed. Nile and Anna, he wasn't sure why Anna was here since she had graduated but when she heard the door close and turned to see Marcus she was fuming. She marched right up to him and immediately pushed him hard and he stumbled back.

"Are you happy with yourself?! Those spells you hit him with put him in a coma! Are you proud?!" she shouted and Marcus was honestly scared for his life. Anna was a force to be reckoned with when she was angry! He gulped as he looked at Nile but he wouldn't make eye contact with him as he stared at Sam. Eventually Nile just stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word but Marcus saw tears starting to form.

"Look I just...I didn't mean to. I just lost it for a second and I didn't...I never..." he stuttered trying to find the right words.

"Just stop Mark! You've done enough get out right now!" Anna growled and Marcus knew better than to argue. He just sighed heavily and walked out the door and sat on a bench nearby. He buried his face in his hands and was trying to think of what to say when he heard a strange sound.

It was the sound of someone apparating which was strange since not only was it forbidden but the Aurors had put up defenses around the school. Whoever apparated must have already been on the grounds, the spells the Aurors put are made to keep things out not so much in.

Marcus followed the voices using his heightened ears and they sounded both angry and panicked. He finally was able to make out the voices "You can't make me!" one said, it was Nile! Who was he talking to?

"Don't test us! You are coming with us right now!" a gruff voice said, why was that voice so familiar to him? He started running as he heard Nile shouting in defiance, he turned a corner and gasped.

Nile was being held by the arms in between two people, a man and a woman. The man grinned and waved at Marcus "Good to see you again sport!" he said laughing.

Niles parents!

Marcus drew his wands but Mrs. Grudge flicked her wand and a powerful spell struck him in the chest. He was thrown back and hit his head on a stature making his vision blur. He struggled to see clearly and he could faintly hear Nile calling for help. His vision was dimming, Mrs. Grudge had hit him with a sleep charm and he was succumbing to it.

He looked up just in time to see the Grudges apparate in black smoke taking Nile with them.

Then darkness overtook him.

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	99. Chapter 99

"Anna if you will just listen to me!" Marcus said but Anna wouldn't stop walking as she entered the DADA classroom. She had gotten a job at the Ministry in the Ancient Artifacts Division, she had been asked back for some subjects in classes as a guest speaker. She simply glared at Marcus before she set her papers down, the class was empty so no one would listen in to the conversation.

"If you will please just listen..." Marcus started only for Anna to turn around and press her wand to his neck.

"Listen here Dine! We have done a lot together! All of us! We have gone through so much but after what you did I don't think I can ever really..." she started but Marcus couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Nile has been taken hostage! By his parents!" he shouted loudly. Anna lowered her wand in shock, she stared at him dumbfounded before turning around. She rifled through her bag and finally she pulled out an old newspaper, it was the article about Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters escaping last year.

She read through it for a few seconds before she gasped "You're right! The Grudges escaped! Oh god next time lead with that instead of stuttering doofus! We have to save him!" she said and Marcus nodded in agreement. Anna ran out and Marcus was right behind her "We have to tell Dumbledore or your parents!" she said as they ran.

"My parents, they know the Grudges they might know where to look." Marcus said and Anna nodded. As they were rushing through the halls a bunch of students stepped away from Marcus and some even glared at him.

As they continued running Anna finally stopped and cut a corner and they ran down an empty hall. She turned around and looked to make sure they were alone, then she looked at Marcus "What was that?" she asked.

Marcus shrugged "Ever since people found out about Caleb that's what school has been like. Sure Hufflepuff House still is supportive and kind but the other houses have avoided me like the plague." he explained. Anna gasped as he explained the situation and the last remnants of her anger towards him faded as he sat on the windowsill.

"Marcus...I didn't know. School must be so hard now, I'm sorry Dan and I aren't here to help you." she said and Marcus shook his head trying to blink back tears. Finally he just lowered his head and cried softly, Anna pulled him into a hug and he sobbed into her shoulder.

"Six years...Six years I've been holding it in! So many secrets and so much pain and I can't tell anyone! I can't take it anymore!" Marcus choked through his sobs. Anna only nodded as Marcus spilled everything he had learned through the Order of the Phoenix. He had been holding in so much over the years he finally had to tell someone and he trusted Anna more than anyone.

When he was done Anna knew everything he knew and he felt like a weight had been lifted. She continued to hug him as he cried softly, finally they pulled away "Feel better?" she asked curiously and Marcus nodded. She gave him a smile "Now, the only question is how did the Grudges get on to school grounds? They couldn't have flown in because the Aurors placed all those charms and shields. They must have already been on the grounds, which means someone sneaked them into the castle." she surmised.

Marcus nodded, who would have let the Grudges into the castle? Malfoy? No he was a jerk but he wasn't evil, letting Death Eaters into the grounds to kidnap someone that's a bit above Dracos pay grade. Marcus remembered something that Nile had told him a few years ago, that there are many ways into the castle that not even the teachers know about and many rule breakers know.

"Who's the biggest rule breaker here?" Marcus asked and Anna opened her mouth "Besides me!" he exclaimed and she closed her mouth and thought for a second. They racked their brains trying to think but couldn't really think of anyone but Marcus had an idea "What about the Weasley twins? Maybe they know the other rule breakers?" he suggested and Anna nodded.

Marcus didn't have classes for the rest of the day and Anna had a few hours before her first class. They ran to the nearest balcony and made sure they were alone before apparating together, it took longer than he thought but they touched down in Diagon Alley.

They quickly ran into the joke shop and the Weasley twins were both announcing new gags and pranks. Marcus ran up to them "Hey guys? We need to talk to you right now!" he said and the twins frowned but they lead them through the shop into a small office. They sat down at their chairs and propped their feet up on the desk "Listen we have a small problem, we need to know some people who would know about some of the secret entrances into Hogwarts." he asked.

The twins looked at each other before the two Hufflepuffs "You know what's funny? You are not the first person that has come to us talking about secret entrances into the grounds." Fred said and Marcus gasped slightly.

"Who asked you?!" he practically shouted and the twins whispered to each other in hushed tones for a few seconds.

"Some guy, don't remember his name. Saw him around the school when we went there, if we saw him we'd recognize him but honestly I don't think he ever gave his name." George said truthfully.

Anna and Marcus sighed, so a student had let them in but they were still no closer to figuring out who the culprit was!

Fred snapped his fingers "Oh wait! I remember something a little weird about the guy! He had a limp! When he walked in he sort of shuffled in cause he could barely move his left leg! Hope that helps!" he explained.

Marcus nodded and tried to recall anyone he knew that had a limp but he came up with nothing. They were making progress their can't be many people at the school that have a limp, the only problem is the school was massive! So many students were in the school and they had no description of the guy aside from the limp, Marcus thanked the twins and walked out of the shop.

Anna was right behind him "So what's the plan?" she asked and Marcus came up with a fairly idiotic plan that would definitely get them expelled. He told Anna and she gave a somewhat crazy smirk and readily agreed, normally she would vote against crazy plans but this wasn't an ordinary situation. Their friend was in trouble and they didn't have much time!

But they were going to figure this out!

They were going to save Nile!

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	100. Chapter 100

"Come on Pansy stop messing with me! Is there anyone in your house that knows about the secret passages?" he asked annoyed. Pansy Parkinson batted her eyes and gave a small smirk as they sat across from each other in the Great Hall. Anna was speaking in classes so it was just Marcus at the moment, Pansy hummed a small tune before she finally responded.

"Maybe I do maybe I don't, what will you give me in return?" she asked cocking her head to the side.

Marcus bit the inside of his cheek "What do you want?" he asked. He had gotten nowhere so far, he had asked Luna Lovegood if any Ravenclaws knew about the passages and they did but none of them had any limps. He and Anna had gone through Hufflepuff house and no one was the culprit either, that left Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Pansy looked at Marcus and smiled even wider "I want a kiss from you." she said and Marcus made a face of disgust. She laughed "Come on Dine, nearly every girl has fancied you for years! Potter is a lost cause but you are something different. Give me what I want and I'll give you what you want." she said.

Marcus knew this girl was sadistic but he had no idea how much until right now. He would rather make out with a Murtlap than kiss her! She was smiling happily as Marcus finally groaned loudly but nodded, he got up and sat next to her and leaned forward. Pansy grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss that bordered on a make out, he pulled back immediately and wiped his mouth "Now tell me what you know!" he ordered as he grabbed a lime and sucked on it hoping to get that terrible taste out of his mouth.

"I don't know anything, a couple guys know the passages but none of them have limps." she explained. Marcus was stunned and contemplated killing her! She smirked "I said I would tell you what I know I never said I knew anything helpful!" she said before getting up and walking away.

He nearly threw up, the things he does to protect the people he loves! Just as he was ready to vomit he saw Neville Longbottom walk into the Great Hall talking to Luna and Seamus. He got up and walked over to them "Neville can we talk?" he asked and he nodded and they walked over out of earshot of the others.

He quickly explained the situation and Neville was lost in thought for a moment "I don't know anything about the passages sorry." he said Marcus nodded. He was walking away when Neville gasped "But I do know someone who has a limp!" he shouted.

Marcus whirled around as Neville walked up to him "I don't know his name or really anything about him but he's in my potions class. I noticed that he had a limp when he walks in, he always puts more weight on his right side." he explained. Marcus was impressed with how perceptive the guy was, people always underestimated him but he was a good guy and deserved more than he got.

He made his way out of the Great Hall and down to the dungeons, he entered the Potions classroom just as it was clearing out. He saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione leaving but he ignored them as he walked over to Horace Slughorn.

"Ah Marcus! My dear boy how are you?" he asked and Marcus frowned, he passed all of his tests with advanced marks. He didn't have to take the potions class anymore, so he had never met Slughorn personally which rose the question of how he knew who he was.

"I apologize, your parents were two of my best students, you are the spitting image of your father! I digress however! Something you need?" he asked as he packed his supplies up.

"Uh yeah, this may come off as a bit of a strange question but do you know any students that have limps? More distinctly in Gryffindor House?" he asked cautiously to try and not raise any suspicion.

Slughorn rubbed his chin in thought "You know, now that you mention it yes I have. A fellow I believe in your year. Bit of a hothead if you ask me, always going on about how he is the best when he is merely adequate. I can't seem to recall his name however." he said seemingly lost in thought.

"Thank you professor you were very helpful." he said before leaving the class, so the person who the let the Grudges in was a Gryffindor with a temper and a limp. He made his way up until he came to the courtyard, he sat down trying to figure out how he was going to find the Gryffindor when his answer came walking up to him.

"Professor Mcgonagall?" he asked as the professor sat down next to him.

"Fred and George informed me of who you were looking for, we know about the Grudges. Snape saw them and informed the teachers, we do not know what passage was used but do you have any information?" she asked. Marcus nodded and told her what he knew, it was a Seventh Year and in Gryffindor House, she sighed "That fool of a boy. I knew there was something sinister about him somehow." she said softly.

"Who are we talking about?" Marcus asked and she looked around, he did too though he didn't know why. He caught sight of a couple students looking at them and when they saw he was looking at him they ran off.

Minerva looked back at Marcus "That boy Andrew has a limp, after his little scuffle with Flitwick in his fourth year." she explained and Marcus gasped.

It was Andrew! He let the Grudges in! The only reason was why?!

Marcus felt anger as he got up and ran into the castle ignoring Mcgonagall calling him back. He ran up the moving stairs two at a time and saw Andrew walking out of the Gryffindor Common Room. Marcus grit his teeth "You spineless little..." he grabbed Andrew and pushed him against the wall.

"Whoa! Dang Dine, finally showing the mutt within?" he asked with a laugh. That was cut short when Marcus dragged him and threw Andrew over the railing, he would have fallen but Marcus held on to his legs. He flailed wildly as he stared at the huge drop below him "Oh my god! Are you insane!?" he shrieked.

"Why did you let the Grudges in?!" he demanded but Andrew kept screaming. Marcus shook him a bit but he continued screaming "My arms are getting tired, why did you let them in?!" he asked again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" he shouted loudly and Marcus let go of him slightly and grabbed him by his feet. It did the trick "Okay okay! Look they paid me! They paid me a lot of money to let in two people! I had no idea that they were Death Eaters! I swear!" he shouted with tears in his eyes.

"Who's they?!" Marcus asked.

"They never gave me a name! But they did say some stuff in a weird language! It sounded like that weird language you speak in sometimes! That Drake...Dragon...that Dragon language!" he shouted.

"Drakkantongue?" he asked and Andrew nodded furiously. Marcus pulled Andrew over the railing and the Gryffindor immediately ran for his life. Marcus leaned against the railing, he thought Voldemort was behind the kidnapping but he wasn't!

Morgan was!

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	101. Chapter 101

"Mr. Dine I highly discourage this!" Mcgonagall shouted causing Marcus to flinch. He thought he was alone but turning around he found Mcgonagall, Sprout, Flitwick, and Slughorn all standing there. Marcus glared at them as he continued walking. It was maybe midnight, he had sneaked out and packed a few provisions for the trip.

"Try and stop me! You'll probably win but I'm not going to give up!" he snarled as he reached the end of the hall and the door slammed shut in front of him. He turned around and was ready to fight his way out, he was going to save Nile! Even if it meant fighting his trainers.

"On the contrary Marcus...going that way will lead you right into the Prefects." Sprout said and Marcus looked at the door.

He looked back and Flitwick stepped forward holding a small box, Marcus took it and opened it. He gasped as he saw his wands! Not the Heartstring and Unicorn wand he had on him but the two that were shattered! The Heartstring wand that Cassius had split in half and his original second Unicorn wand that he had broken to defend himself from Lupin!

"Where...how?" he asked at a loss of words.

Flitwick smiled "A gift from someone who truly cares about you...and is sorry for everything he put you through." he explained. Marcus gave a faint smile, it was a gift from Dumbledore as an apology. He didn't know if he accepted it but he was definitely happy to see his old wands again. He sheathed his Heartstring wands to his belt and put his original Unicorn pair in their proper holders.

Slughorn stepped forward and handed him a tiny vial "Dumbledore asked me to make a second vial though I had no idea why. I see now he wanted me to give it to you." he said as Marcus took the potion. Inside the potion was a liquid that resembled liquid gold. Slughorn smiled and pat him on the back "Liquid Luck, something tells me you'll need it dear boy. Use it wisely." he said and stepped aside.

Mcgonagall stepped forward holding a cane, Marcus took it and examined it closely. It was made of a dark black material, was around four feet long so it just touched the ground when he held it. The top of the cane was the head of a dragon, it was made of steel and the neck formed a small curve as it turned into the head. The eyes of the dragon were a bright yellow gemstone...Citrine maybe?

"Sprout found the wood for the cane and I helped create the hilt, be careful out there Marcus. Be safe." Mcgonagall said with a smile. Marcus looked at Sprout and she gave him a simple nod and smile but that was all he needed from her.

"Thank you all...so much." he said and the four teachers nodded before making their way passed him and out of sight. He gave a soft chuckle before he pocketed the Liquid Luck and gripped his dragon cane tightly. Then he made his way down the hall and down a set of stairs.

He opened a door and was met by the crisp cool night air, he took a deep breath before he apparated off the school grounds.

He touched down on the rocky shore of Loch Ness, the water was choppy and pitch black. He kicked a few pebbles aside as he approached the water, his shoes were soaked but he didn't care. He drew a wand and flicked over his palm, a tiny nick appeared and he squeezed his hand into a fist. Drops of blood fell into the water and seemed to almost vanish the second it submerged.

It only took ten seconds before the water rippled and a massive serpent rose out of the blackness. Kelp wrapped around its whole body and when it parted a ten foot tall man was standing in front of Marcus. Nessie broke into a large grin "Lord! Wonderful to see you!" he said pulling Marcus into a bone crushing hug.

"Good to see you too boy. I wish I could be here on better circumstances but I need your help. Remember my friend? When we first met?" he asked. Nessie nodded "Well, he's in trouble and the only link I have to finding out where he is is Morgan. Can you help me boy?" he asked.

Nessie grinned wider "Of course! Do you want me to take you to her Lord?" he asked curiously. Marcus frowned at his question and Nessie seemed to understand his confusion "She is still in this land. Building a mighty fortress, she has many followers helping her. Only Knights and dragons are allowed in, even I am not allowed to see my Mistress who I miss greatly. She is not well Lord, not well at all. The few times she has come to see me I could feel her power waning, her life slipping away." he explained.

Marcus looked at the massive Kelpie and made the decision "Can you take me to her?" he asked knowing full well how dangerous and life threatening this request was.

"Absolutely Lord!" Nessie said before his hair wrapped around his entire body. It fell away and Nessie was now a massive horse, he lowered his head and Marcus climbed on the Kelpies back. The water horse neighed loudly before cutting through water like a knife through warm butter. In just a few minutes they were outside the loch and in the open ocean, Nessie turned and skirted along the edges of the land but maintained his break neck speed through the deep water.

By the time Nessie began to slow down Marcus was wishing he had brought a saddle because he was pretty sure he wasn't going to have kids ever. He had lost track of time but that thought vanished as Nessie raced through some fog and a large cliff appeared in the distance.

A massive citadel hundreds of feet high stood at the top of a massive cliff overlooking the ocean. A massive forest was next to it, fires raged near the border judging by the large black smoke. Nessie turned and started going along the cliffs until the water became more shallow and land covered both sides. Nessie floated along the river until he stopped by a small bank, Marcus climbed off and Nessie turned back into his human form.

"Here we are my lord! This is as far as I can take you. Please if you can save my Mistress then do it! I...I don't want to go back. To be alone in a loch knowing that my master shall never return." he said in a low and heartbreaking voice.

Marcus sighed "Nessie, you don't have to be alone. The Black Lake do you know it?" he asked. Nessie nodded and cocked his head confused "Don't go back to Loch Ness, go to the Black Lake. There are a lot of sea creatures there and you wouldn't have to be alone anymore." he suggested.

Nessie looked down at Marcus and then smiled "I shall, the best of luck Lord!" he said before he dove into the river and vanished beneath the waves. Marcus took in his surroundings, the forest he was in was thick and wild, he could barely catch his bearings if it wasn't for the being a landmark for him.

He tried to recall where he had seen the citadel but he was miles down the river, he had no idea where to even begin in this dense forest. He sighed, when in doubt just start walking.

With that in mind he started walking.

More determined than ever.

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	102. Chapter 102

He had been walking for hours, at least that's what it felt like this forest had no concept of time. Marcus stumbled over a log and landed on his face, he sputtered a few curses before getting to his feet and walking some more. He still had no idea if he was even going in the right direction towards the Citadel!

It was then that he remembered the moon was behind him when he first saw the Citadel. That meant that geographically the Citadel was east and if the moon was...he looked up and saw the moon to his left through the trees. He turned right and made his way forward through the thick trees and bushes. He kept moving and skating by branches and trees, any other person would have probably burned and cut their way through the forest but something about this forest made Marcus shiver.

He could practically _feel_ magic radiating throughout the trees. This place was ancient, more ancient than anything he had ever seen. This forest has seen countless ages, kingdoms fall, civilizations crumble, and withstood it all. The strangest thing about the forest were the massive mounds of twigs and moss, every once in a while he would see one and then later on he would see another as if he was walking in circles.

Finally he smelled smoke, the smell of burning wood, Marcus picked up the pace as the smell got stronger. He saw light up ahead and broke through the treeline to a truly terrifying sight!

Hundreds of wizards were burning and transporting wood that they had torn down but that wasn't what scared Marcus. What scared him were the litany of skeletons that littered the ground, they weren't human they were dragon skeletons! He noticed something strange about the skeletons as he ducked behind a tree, they had no wings! Winged dragons have an outline of bone at the top of the wings but these dragons didn't have them!

The Knights had killed them! Why?! They were dragons! Marcus knew enough about dragons to tell but this still made no sense! Morgan slaughtered her entire organization for mistreating dragons and now they were killing dragons again?!

"HEY!" a voice to his left shouted, Marcus turned and saw a man racing towards him drawing his wand. Marcus snapped his fingers and the wand flew out of the mans hand and was lost in the ground. Marcus could have fought him but he didn't want to attract any attention, he had to get away from the other Knights so he didn't have the entire order on his tail.

He turned and ran as fast as he could into the forest. The man gave chase but Marcus wasn't anticipating his lack of knowledge of the forest. He quickly got turned around and couldn't find the man that was following him. Suddenly something slammed into him from behind and he was knocked to the ground, he was grabbed by the arm and thrown through the trees. He slammed his head against a rock and groaned loudly as his vision blurred, he saw the fuzzy image of the man approaching him.

"I'm going to drag you in front of Morgana herself and watch her kill you!" he shouted, Marcus realized he was next to one of those weird mounds. He didn't focus on that as he tried to crawl way only for the man to grab his legs and yank him back. He winced in pain as the man pressed his knee against his chest and made it harder for Marcus to breathe.

The man grinned widely and Marcus gasped but not at him...at the mound behind the man.

It was moving!

Marcus's eyes followed the massive creature that rose out of the ground and the man caught that he was staring behind him. He turned and stared up at the monster open mouthed as it let loose a loud roar. The man screamed loudly and tried to run only for a massive claw to come down like a boulder and crush him. Marcus was taking rapid breaths as the creature lumbered forward and he could hear teeth digging into flesh as the man was devoured.

He couldn't make out what the creature was, just mud and sticks falling everywhere off of a creature that looked like it was made of moss. The creature sniffed the air as it quickly filled with the metallic smell of blood, it turned its head and Marcus almost screamed.

It was a dragon!

"Well...another trespasser." the beast uttered as it started towards Marcus with its head low. Marcus scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could but the land dragon was faster than it looked. It cut Marcus off in a second no matter where he ran. It approached him baring its serrated teeth "None are allowed to harm our forest!" it roared.

"I don't want to harm it!" Marcus shouted out of sheer desperation. The dragon stopped maybe a foot away from devouring Marcus, it was so close that he could see the blood and bits of flesh from the Knight wedged in its teeth.

It closed its mouth and cocked its head to the side "Speaker of our tongue? I have not seen one for many an age." he said curiously. His voice no longer contained rage but curiosity and wonder as he lumbered around Marcus who was shaking in fear.

"What brings you my home? My forest?" he asked and Marcus gulped hard, he could barely think. The dragon sniffed the air around him "Ancient blood, ah yes, the blood of the so called 'Dragon Queen' that those Knights call her. We do not acknowledge her lordship over our brothers. Ah but why should I tell you if I am going to eat you?" he asked genuinely curious with his own question.

Marcus gasped slightly "I actually really appreciate it if you didn't eat me." he stammered. The dragon hummed clearly not amused with his response.

"You are a Knight, one that ridicules and mocks us for not having wings!" he roared.

"No I'm actually not! I hate the Knights! I hate my grandmother!" he shouted pleadingly. The dragon clearly was conflicted with what he should do, many dragons were. They don't attack humans out of sheer sport they attack when they feel truly threatened.

"You may speak the truth...and yes you speak our tongue which many do not...but how can I know who you really are?" he asked quizzically.

Marcus saw his opportunity "Just let me explain myself! Please?" he asked hoping the dragon saw reason over hunger and hate.

The dragon luckily did because it started forward and lowered it's head in front of Marcus. He got the hint and climbed onto the dragons massive back, he sat down in the dry mud and moss of the dragon. He finally got a good look of him and saw that he was fifty feet in length snout to tail. His scales were practically melded with the earthen elements of the forest, likely for camouflage.

"It is not up to me alone to decide, come young Knight...we shall decide your fate together." he said as he lumbered through the trees. Marcus looked over and saw the other mounds throughout the forest were gone, they were all dragons! The dragon snorted "What shall I call you young Knight?" he asked curiously.

"Marcus, my name is Marcus Dine." he responded.

"Ah, Marcus...I am Galdon." he said in a low voice.

"I've never seen a dragon like you before." Marcus said trying to make conversation with the dragon escorting him to his possible death.

Galdon grunted "Yes, many of use were once spread across the world. So few remain now...so few live on. We are the oldest of dragon kind. Our winged brothers were created and by then we were ancient. They took to the skies while we remained here on the ground and water." he explained.

"Water?" Marcus asked confused when suddenly he heard water splashing in the distance and a mighty roar. His heart practically stopped as more roars sounded in the distance as if responding to the first roar. Marcus gulped again "Wh-When you say 'we' what exactly do you mean by that?" he asked shakily.

Galdon huffed in annoyance "It matters not to you, the only thing you must do is plead your case and then we shall decide your fate young one." he said as he picked up some speed. After maybe an hour of thick and confusing forest Galdon entered a large clearing next to a small lake, in the center was a large crater.

Galdon stopped at the edge of the crater and lowered his head. Marcus slid off of the dragons back and stared at the crater "This is where I was born...I crawled out of this hole a child. The world was so much different then, kinder and peaceful." Galdon said softly.

Marcus nodded in understanding when he heard trees crackling and water splashing. Marcus saw around five dragons similar to Galdon approach them from the forest, coming out of the lake were large serpents that resembled a basilisk but they had webbed feet. Marcus felt a rumbling and suddenly the ground gave out and five massive reptiles that looked like monstrous Komodo Dragons crawled out, in total about fifteen dragons surrounded Marcus and Galdon.

"My friends...so happy to see so many of you alive. I have a human with me who claims he is not a Knight that has ventured into our lands. I am inclined to believe him considering the Knights know to stay away and that they are not permitted here. What say you?" Galdon asked.

All of the different dragons roared and Galdon looked at Marcus.

"Let the trial begin."

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	103. Chapter 103

"...and so I have been fighting against Morgan Le Fay ever since." Marcus finished as he stood in the center of the crater. He felt so small and helpless as the wingless dragons all stared down at him, the only one that didn't seem like they wanted to kill him was Galdon.

"You will wait here young prince while we discuss what to do with you." Galdon said before all of the dragons disappeared from the edge. Marcus couldn't see any of them probably how it was supposed to be so he couldn't run away. If he tried they would fry him before he even got ten feet from the crater.

He could hear the dragons muttering and speaking in Drakkantongue but it wasn't modern day Drakkantongue it was much more ancient. He couldn't make out a single word, it was like this dialect was so ancient and so rare that the members of the trial were the only ones that spoke it anymore.

He waited for maybe an hour, by that point the Sun was going to be up soon. He could just make out the faintest of light shining in the sky, finally the muttering stopped. Marcus looked up and the dragons all surrounded the crater and stared down at him.

"After a lengthy debate...we have concluded...that you are not one of the Knights." Galdon said, it was clear that this was a trial where everyone has a say but it was also clear that Galdon was their leader.

Marcus let out a sigh of relief "Thank you, so you'll help me?" he asked hopefully and all of the dragons looked at each other before Galdon spoke.

"No. We shall not help you. This is not our fight." he said firmly and Marcus couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Then who's side are you on?!" Marcus asked confused.

"We are on nobody's side because no one is ever on our side. No one cares of the forests and waters anymore, or the deep earth. This is our land yes, but it is not our war." Galdon stated and Marcus hung his head. He made his way out of the crater and the wingless dragons all departed to their respective domains.

All that was left was Galdon and Marcus "Come young prince, I shall take you to safety." he said lowering his head and Marcus climbed on his back.

"Please Galdon, I need to help my friend! I can't do it alone!" Marcus pleaded but Galdon lumbered into the forest without a care in the world. More than once Marcus almost fell off of his back and would have been crushed by Galdons feet.

"I am sorry dear prince but we have had dealings with Morgana in the past. She always had more of a mind with our young brothers. She never truly considered me and my brothers back there as true dragons, she claims that dragons must be able to fly. She cast my brethren aside calling us not dragons but wyrms. We were insulted yes but she promised that she would respect our boundaries and not interfere with our lives. We know of her mighty fortress in the east but we forest dragons sleep for long periods. We cannot make sure she is keeping to her promise as there are so few of us remaining but we have trust in Morgana." Galdon explained.

When he was done Marcus realized what he had to do even though it was pretty horrible. He took a deep breath and saw the Sun in the distance rising "Wait Galdon stop!" he shouted and the dragon came to a halt. Marcus knew the Citadel was that direction and on the outside of the Citadel..."Go east!" he shouted.

"East? That would take you right to the Citadel? Do you think that is wise young prince?" he asked as if trying to figure out why Marcus wanted to change directions.

"Yes actually, it's pretty genius actually! The Knights would never think that we would go towards them! We can slip by them completely unnoticed!" Marcus explained hoping the dragon didn't catch on to his plan!

He didn't he cocked his head "That really doesn't make sense to me, but if you think that's the right course then I won't argue!" he said turning around. The dragon started through the forest and Marcus silently apologized for what his plan was. Galdon was kind, he was caring, all he wanted was to protect his land and kin and Marcus felt truly awful for this.

"Why do you call me prince Galdon?" Marcus asked to pass the time as they made their way through the forest.

"The lady Morgana claims a false title...the Dragon Queen. You are her heir, that makes you a prince among our winged brethren, we do not agree but we shall not argue with them. We shall not follow her but we shall not judge our brothers for following her that is their path not ours." Galdon explained.

"You're so...different from other dragons. You seem so much wiser and much more practical then other dragons." Marcus stated.

Galdon hummed in an appreciative tone "My kind have always been wiser, whereas our winged brothers are hotheaded and naive. We cannot run from battle as they can, we must be diplomatic when we can be and fight when we must." he explained.

Marcus was at a loss of words, but he knew that Galdon was also going to be when they cleared the forest up ahead. He marched out of the opening and didn't see it at first because he was too engrossed in what he was saying.

"...and we all gathered around the tree and tried to...ohhhh." he stopped walking as he stared at the carnage.

Of all the bodies.

Countless forest dragons, earth dragons, and even water dragons laid dead on the large field between the forest and the Citadel that was maybe two miles away. Stumps of burned trees stuck out of the ground and burned wood and ash covered the ground turning the entire ground grey and bleak.

Marcus slid off of Galdons back and approached him, the dragon was frozen in place as he stepped towards the dead dragons.

"Many of these dragons were my friends...some I had known since the egg." he stated, his voice full of sadness and heartbreak.

Marcus pat his side "I'm sorry Galdon but you _had_ to see this." he said softly.

"They had...voices of their own in the council...who would..." his voice trailed off as his eyes lifted and he saw the Citadel in the distance. It was clear that fires were burning and Marcus could see many winged dragons and wizards walking around the outside of it.

Galdons eyes turned dark and murderous "Morgana!" he said viciously "A witch should know better!" he shrieked before bringing his head up and roaring. Marcus clutched his ears in pain as the roar resonated for miles upon miles possibly reaching the entire forest and beyond.

"Too long we have been blind! Too long we have sat and done nothing! There are no curses in the tongues of Snake, Dragon, or Man that can account this monstrous betrayal! My business is with Morgana tonight! With the claw and flame!" he roared just as the trees shook.

Marcus turned around to witness hundreds of forest dragons lumbering out of the forest, all different sizes with different camouflage scales but all clearly forest dragons. The ground rumbled and legions of earth dragons erupted from the ground and roared.

Galdon lowered his head and Marcus climbed in his back and pulled out his wands as the army of wingless dragons started to march towards the Citadel.

"Come my brethren..." Galdon stated as he marched in front of the dragons.

"The dragons are going to _WAR!"_

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	104. Chapter 104

The marching of hundreds of forest and stone dragons was easily one of the tensest moments in Marcus's life and they haven't even started fighting yet! Galdon's angry feet stomp with such ferocity it felt like there was earthquake. Combine that with all the other dragons and suddenly the whole world feels like it's shaking.

"What's the plan Galdon? How are we supposed to fight dragons in the air?" Marcus asked nervously.

Hot smoke puffs out of his nostrils and he does a strange chesty grumbling noise. I sounded like he was…laughing?

"We have our ways Prince, this is not our first time fighting against our airborne kin! For the first time in a thousand years dragons shall fight once again; and just as before we shall be victorious! Prepare yourself, our foes appear!" Galdon roared.

Marcus looked up in the sky and his breath hitched as he saw hundreds of dragons flying towards them! Knights flying upon the backs of dragons of all kinds; Horntails, Ironbellies, Firebolts, each dragon panting heavily with scars all along their necks and a red gaze to their eyes.

Spells flew forth from the rider's wands, red and white blasts of energy faintly lighting up the darkened land as the arcing magic collides with Galdon's forces. The dragons groaned in mild discomfort, some stumbled while others tripped to their feet.

With a wand in each hand Marcus deflected and countered back each spell aimed for him, knocking the rider's he could see off their mounts. Marcus winced as some fall hundreds of feet and crashed into the stony ground, their bodies unmoving after the fall.

Bile creeped up his throat, but he ignored it and the awful feeling as best he could and continued to defend Galdon and himself.

"Galdon, we're losing dragons! I can't hold off spells like this forever!" Marcus shouted, sweat running down his face as he blasted another rider out of the air.

"Fear not! We've almost reached good ground! Cast aside your fears, simple wizards such as these can pose no threat to mighty forest and stone dragons! Look upon my kin and see." Galdon said proudly.

Marcus took his eyes away from the sky and peeked back at the fallen dragons, only they weren't defeated anymore! Every dragon he saw the knights drop to their knees groaned angrily before rising slowly again and continued to march.

Their hardened and foliage encrusted scales deflected or absorbed the Knight's spells entirely; these dragons are even sturdier and more magic resistant than flying ones!

"That's amazing! I never knew forest dragons had such strong scales!" Marcus shouted with a smile as the land dragons charged forward.

"But of course! We've walked these lands since the time of the ancients, fought many a beast the likes of which no longer walk this earth. A trial by fire as some humans say. Our kin have earned our stone armor through might, and might shall be our course to victory this day! We don't have to be 'light' as our flying kin is, the earth itself is our shield! Hold on tight Prince, we're approaching good ground!" Galdon stated as he lumbered forward with his brethren.

Marcus complained to him about what 'good ground' is, but Galdon just gave him a smug looking side glance and told him to wait. They marched a few hundred feet more and finally Marcus understood why Galdon had the army march to that spot.

Boulders of various size were stacked in huge piles across the field, each looking ancient and almost…used somehow. Long grooves run across the surface of the stones, a quick glance is all Marcus needed to guess they've been scratched by claws!

His bewilderment continued as the dragons approached the piles and started clawing the boulders free and rolled them between their legs where thick and powerful tails would wrap around them. His eyes bulged from their sockets as he watched the dragons catapult the boulders high into the air at the harassing sky dragons!

A good portion of them missed, the agility of flying dragons being nothing to scoff at, but the land dragons had impeccable aiming, timing, and cooperation. One would throw a rock that caused their target to fly in a certain path where another dragon would throw another rock into the planned path, often missing by a hair but still it caused the flying dragon to quickly change its course and accidentally throw its rider off.

Marcus winced as one rider fell over a hundred feet only to be gobbled up by a particularly fat forest dragon before he even touched the ground.

Galdon then suddenly rolled Marcus off his back and stood over him, roaring out a particular sound that had meaning to his kin but since it wasn't a command in Drakkantoungue he had no idea what it meant.

"Gah! What the hell Galdon?! What was that for?!" Marcus shouted rubbing his arm that had been crushed in the fall.

"You may be a prince of my kin, but you lack our armor. Prepare yourself! Dragon fire rains from the sky!" Galdon announced staring up at the sky.

It didn't take Marcus long to figure out what he meant. The flying dragons all flew into a V formation like geese and belched hot fire onto the entire field, a literal shower of dragon fire! The land dragons around Marcus curled up into little balls, Galdon doing the same as he gently surrounded Marcus with his own body just as the fire reached them.

Thankfully Galdon protected Marcus, otherwise he'd have been turned into charcoal from the fire! Still, the sheer heat was so powerful he could feel himself become dizzy and almost pass out from overheating. Quickly he casted Aguamenti on himself and relaxed as a jet of cold water washed over him, instantly cooling him down and likely saving him from death.

After the flyby Galdon and the land dragons uncurled themselves and returned to lobbing stones in a new practiced formation. They were then throwing the boulders in an alternating pattern, interrupting the flight path where a sneakily thrown boulder was aimed with the intention of scaring the rider off their mount's neck.

One by one Knights fell from the sky and were gobbled up by the forest dragons. Thankfully very few of the flying dragons were hit by the boulders, only a few dozen fell where forest dragons would bite their weakened necks.

It still boggled his mind how Morgan could never appreciate these dragons, they're amazing! Marcus had thought flying dragons had powerful scales and jaws, but forest dragons are even stronger! The forest dragons had bit down on the necks of the fallen flying dragons, their powerful jaws would completely crush the thinner necks even through the scale armor. Marcus had felt sick watching the dozens of dragons flailing out crazily as their necks were crushed, but he had to steel his heart and focus back on blasting knights from their mounts.

Slowly the Knights were blasted from the sky, and a few convincing boulders would scare the rider-less dragons as they flew off into the horizon away from Morgan's citadel and her control over them.

"We're doing it! Look Galdon, they're retreating!" Marcus shouted with a smile. Relief washed over him as the dragons finally were out of harms way.

"Yes, they've tested our might and found themselves too weak to challenge! Come, young Prince, now we must march on the very heart of corruption! Morgana has crafted herself a fortress to shield herself from the world, but no stone or metal can stay back the tide! Our muscles are strong, our stones heavy and hard! We shall tear her walls down and cast that wretched tower into the sea!" He shouted defiantly, all of the other land dragons roaring in agreement.

Marcus heard him and quickly intervened "W-wait! Galdon, first I want to confront Morgan personally! If I don't take her down in person she could escape and continue being a threat! Let me enter the citadel in person before you destroy it!" he explained.

Galdon hummed, the sound that emanated from his throat seemed closer to a growl then an inquisitive noise people would make.

"I shall do what I can, but the hatred and pride of my kin runs deep. I cannot promise they will not attack the main tower for long, you will have minutes at most before they destroy it with you inside. I wish you luck young Prince, even weakened Morgana is a most powerful witch. Gather your cunning and wits and you may return a victor. Should you be slain this night, then I shall mourn you; should you return to me, then I shall remember and honor you as a great hero among the dragonkin."

The last of the flying dragons finally retreated, without a Knight to command them they returned to the wild they originated from instead of returning to the citadel.

Marcus finally focused his attention on the fortress, the Citadel loomed high in the dark and cloudy sky, a beacon of Morgan's power. It's only half a kilometer away he guessed, and without air power their defenses have shrunk significantly.

It still isn't over however, Marcus was positive that behind those walls hundreds of angry Knights were waiting. Even without dragons an army of wizards is not something to attack without caution. That being said, there is an army of angry dragons marching towards them this very moment.

"Is this the wisest thing? We're charging into the path of hundreds of wands! Galdon, many dragons can die if we do it this way!" Marcus shouted as he ran next to the ancient dragon.

"Ha! Still you underestimate the strength of our stone scales! Cast aside your worries, this is not our first war against sorcerers! Feast your gaze upon the wrath of the ancients, the mightiest of our kin! Stone Dragons shall rend her walls to rubble!" Galdon roared.

The earth shook as huge lumbering monsters slowly emerged from the ranks and marched in front of the dragons. The beasts are ginormous, stones embedded into their bodies all the way around gave them the impression of medieval armor made of white rock.

The creatures are almost two-hundred feet long from head to toe, and out of all the dragons Marcus had seen these were surprisingly the most lizard like. They were basically half dragging themselves along the ground like a reptile, the sheer weight of their literal stone armor carving deep trenches in the ground.

Marcus remembered reading about this kind of dragon, how they were often the inspiration for stone giants of the ancient world. What was more impressive was a recorded ability of theirs, complete magic immunity.

The stone armor of theirs being so strong that even the most powerful explosive spell would only leave a layer of soot on it. The population was recorded world wide as being less than a hundred in the renaissance era, and by modern times none have been seen for over three hundred years.

Stone dragons were labelled as extinct years ago, Marcus could only watch in amazement as many of them curled into balls and rammed the walls ahead, causing them to crack and shake.

"Prepare yourselves! We've reached the outer walls!" Galdon announced as the dragons marched on towards the massive fortress.

The entire trek to the Citadel walls was hounded by a hail fire of spells from the guarding wizards. Red, blue, green and white lightning flashes out from the bastions and collided into the stone dragons to no avail, their armor was too powerful.

Marcus looked out in awe as five of the lumbering giants stopped before the walls. The knights freaked out as the huge dragons reared up and grabbed the top of the walls, squishing several dozen knights beneath their heavy claws. They tugged on the walls, the stone cracking as their mighty strength ripped the walls down completely. The explosion of destroyed stone was deafening, the entire citadel defense force went silent as they understood their doom was at hand.

With a furious roar the dragons lunged forward, the opening allowed them to attack the citadel from the inside as well as the outside. Marcus dropped off Galdon's back and raced into the center area alongside the dragons. It was complete chaos once he was inside, hundreds of wizards running around in fear, feebly attempting to fend off the invading dragons.

Blood, fire, magic, it's complete havoc all around. Knights are gobbled up or burned to death, dragons are injured from horrible dark arts. More bile worked up Marcus's throat, the scent and imagery being almost overwhelming.

Through all the chaos Marcus saw his goal ahead, the grand entrance to Morgan's tower! Fire and magic flies overhead as he charged through the havoc, blasting stray Knights from his path and taking off in a full sprint towards the great doors.

The hair on the back of his neck rose and he turned around just in time to deflect an angry green spell from killing him. Nearly a dozen Knights encircled around, firing a variety of spells that forced Marcus to defend with both of my wands!

The sheer number and speed of the wizards prevented him from counterattacking, but a surprise save from a dragon was all the distraction Marcus needed! A fat forest dragon appeared behind the attacking knights and loomed over them. One knight looked up and gulped just as the fierce jaws snapped down and crushed the man's torso.

Marcus winced at the sound of crunching bones and fired off a few stunning spells at the distracted knights and turned around and ran towards the doors. As he was running he saw a large number of wizards rushing out of the doors, Marcus grabbed his other two wands and held two in each hand.

They fired a large number of spells towards him but he quickly deflected them in different directions. The spells either returned and struck their masters knocking them down the stairs or flew in a random direction and striking another Knight. Marcus watched as the Knights that were struck toppled down the stairs and remained motionless on the ground.

"Show no mercy! For the Dragon Queen!" one Knight shouted before Marcus struck him in the chest and sent him to the ground.

"REDUCTO!" he shouted with all four wands pointed at the stairs. The massive explosion that followed sent all of the Knights flying in the air and landing on the ground unconscious or groaning in pain. He took this chance and rushed up the stairs and into the tower.

Doors and hallways were everywhere, the tower was like a maze as Marcus quickly shut the door. The sounds of battle shook the tower and Marcus could still hear the dragons roaring and Knights screaming. Marcus knew that this was a near suicidal mission so he quickly put his hand in his pocket.

He pulled out the vial of Liquid Luck and uncorked it, he took a deep breath before downing the entire vial in one gulp. He felt like the liquid was making its way through his whole body, he knew that large quantities caused recklessness and giddiness but he felt none of that. Slughorn must have made just enough to avoid that side effect but still provide luck.

Marcus shuddered slightly as he threw the vial aside and gripped his wands tightly before he ran through one of the many corridors. He turned a corner and a wizard fired a spell that missed him by an inch, he fired the Stunning Spell and the man flew back and slammed into the wall.

He kept running when suddenly he heard singing, he cocked his head as he a womans voice rang through the halls. He followed the voice through the massive tower, he felt entranced by the voice wanting to hear more. He started up a large set of stairs and the singing grew louder, it was then that he realized the woman was singing in Drakkantongue.

A large set of double doors were all that stood between him and the voice, he steeled his nerves once more and pushed them open, then walked in.

The singing stopped as Marcus approached a black throne, sitting upon it was Morgan Le Fay herself. Her sword was in hand and she was petting a baby Welsh Green in her lap. Marcus was halfway across the room when she looked up, her eyes appeared hollow and her skin seemed transparent in the candlelight.

"Welcome dear grandson...it's a pleasure to see you in my final hours." she said softly. Marcus lifted his wands and she made no attempt to arm herself other than her sword. She opened her hand and the Welsh Green made a small roar before it took flight and flew out a small window.

"You left me no choice Morgan, I...I don't want to do this but...what you have done is unforgivable. Please don't make this any harder than it already is." Marcus said to the ancient witch.

Morgan gave a deep sigh "I have no intention of fighting, my power fails me...ever since I was resurrected I could feel it slipping. I never understood why until this moment...it is because of you Marcus." she stated calmly. Marcus frowned in confusion "Remember Marcus it took two children of Le Fay to bring me back. We share the same blood, but not the same path. You see with my resurrection through you we were connected, and it is because of that that I am dying. Two of the same cannot coexist, Cassius has perished and with him gone my power grew but you Marcus. You are so much more powerful than him...and me. I told you that the next time we see each other only one would live, that is because our magical blood quite literally cannot exist in two people. Yes we are kin but we are not the same." she explained.

Marcus could barely understand what she was saying "Imagine a soul that is not supposed to split, it has been ripped in two and put into another person. Because of this both hosts start to die, only the death of one can save the other." she explained.

Marcus nodded as Morgan stood and nearly stumbled as she stepped down from her throne. Marcus kept his wands trained on the witch as she approached. She held her sword lazily, she stopped a few feet from Marcus and held up her sword.

Then she handed the sword towards Marcus.

"Take it...please." Morgan said softly.

Marcus lowered his wands in shock "This is not a sword Marcus, upon my imprisonment my wand was cursed. As long as I remain my wand cannot be as it was, the moment I die my wand shall return. I made it myself you know...not of wood but of..."

"Dragon bone." Marcus finished at the realization. Morgan gave a faint smile and nodded, he put his wands away before he hesitantly grabbed the hilt of the sword. He lifted it and found that it was surprisingly light for its size and metal.

"Dragon breath core...one of a kind and nearly impossible to harness into a wand. No wand is like it as it does not follow ordinary wand rules. While you can win a wand in a duel and it shall change its allegiance this wand cannot as it is tied to our line. Only those that share my blood can take ownership of my wand, and my wand cannot form until I pass." she explained.

Marcus eyed the sword in his hand "Why are you just giving up? There is literally an army fighting on your behalf out there. Why do this all for nothing? Why discredit the land dragons?! Why?!" Marcus shouted at her.

She stared down at the ground in what looked like shame "Yes...many die for me. I...was wrong in my vendetta. The wizards and muggles that killed my dragon friends died centuries ago. I was following my hatred for muggles and not logic or reason. Yet through it all you stayed true not only to your friends but also to all dragon kind. Amazing." she said genuinely amazed.

The mention of his friends reminded Marcus why he was there in the first place "Where is my friend Nile? I know that one of your men paid Andrew to let the Grudges in! Why?!" Marcus demanded pushing the sword against Morgan who didn't even flinch.

"I do not know, yes I had his kidnapping arranged. I thought that his blood being that of Galahad then maybe I could extend my life. When that failed his parents took him away, where to? I cannot say. I am sorry Marcus." she said.

Marcus felt like crying, all of this was for nothing! Nile was still missing!

Suddenly the tower shook, dust and rubble fell all over the room. Morgan looked around "My time has come grandson. Please, make it quick." she said grabbing the blade of the sword and pointing it towards her heart.

Marcus started hyperventilating, he's no killer! He can't do this! No matter what he couldn't kill his own family!

Morgan smiled "Always chivalrous. I ask you this grandson, clear our name. I made the Le Fay name feared please undo the harm that I have caused. Right my wrongs, succeed where I failed. Good luck." she said before leaping forward causing the blade to go straight through her. Marcus gasped as Morgan fell to her knees, she looked at him and he could see peace and freedom in her eyes as a small smile graced her lips.

"Draco Ignis Marcus. Draco...Ignis." she said before she fell to the ground, he gulped hard as he saw her body slowly dissolve into dust. The sword glowed brightly and Marcus averted his eyes, when he looked back all that was on the ground was a white robe and something sticking out of it.

He reached down and grabbed the object.

It was a wand!

A fourteen inch wand, Ironbelly bone, unwavering loyalty, and dragon breath core.

The Dragon Wand.

As Marcus held it he saw that the grip of the wand was metal and had many inscriptions etched into it. It was the same metal as the hilt of the sword, the prison for the wand to keep away from Morgan.

"Draco Ignis." Marcus muttered and suddenly the tip of the wand began to glow and then a blast of liquid fire shot out of the wand and hit the wall. Marcus flicked the wand and the fire had burned through the thick and dense metal as if it was paper. He looked at the wand, the wand that now answered to him and then at the remains of his grandmother.

"I'll restore our name...I promise." he whispered before the tower shook violently. Marcus quickly apparated out through the hole and flew through the air. He hit the ground and saw all of the stone and land dragons relentlessly slamming rocks into the tower and digging around it. Then what sounded like the earth screaming the earth beneath the tower gave in and the tower crumbled backwards. Marcus watched in amazement as the tower fell down and crashed into the sea.

Waves the size of skyscrapers shot up and fell right towards Marcus, he lifted his new wand and the water crashed into his shield with an insane amount of force but the shield held. Marcus pushed the shield out and the waves fell back into the sea. He looked over the cliff and saw the Citadel slowly sinking into the depths of the ocean, he saw hundreds of Knights retreating over the water. Then many sea dragons leaped out and attacked them, the dragons really meant business with the Knights! One thing can be said they really know how to fight back.

"Ahhhh you live!" a voice shouted, Marcus turned to see Galdon approaching with all of the other land dragons close behind him.

Marcus nodded "Yes...Morgan will never threaten you again. There is no more Dragon Queen or Knights. You are all free." he said with a smile, his heart was heavy though with the death of Morgan. She was cruel and manipulative but she was family and Marcus would always live with that pain. Nile was still in the hands of his Death Eater parents and he had no idea where they were!

Galdon lowered his head "Yes...freedom. I ask you Prince, why do you think so many of our brethren fight each other?" Galdon asked. Marcus frowned and thought for a second, he had never really paid attention to that he simply thought it was animals being animals.

"It is because we are free to do that. It is because of that that the Knights were able to manipulate and enslave so many of us. Freedom? Yes. Keepers of peace? Never. You have helped a great deal young Marcus and for that we can never repay you for this great victory." he explained.

Suddenly another roar was heard and Marcus looked up to see the flying dragons that had fled the battle descending and land next to the land dragons. The largest one, a massive Ironbelly even for dragons, stepped forward. Marcus recognized the Ironbelly through its cuts, this was the dragon that Cassius had ridden and abused during his rule.

"Truer words have never been spoken elder one. However, we have seen the fury and strength of this one. The one known as Dine, Dragon-Friend, Protector of the Vipertooths. With the fall of the Queen I proclaim that you shall be King!" he shouted and the dragons behind him roared.

Marcus frowned "Whoa now what are you saying exactly?" he asked skeptically.

The Ironbelly, air dragons, land dragons, and Galdon all bowed their heads towards Marcus.

"Hail the King of the Dragons! Protector of Dragonkind! Lord of Drakes!" Galdon roared and all of the other dragons blew fire in agreement of his proclamation.

Marcus was stunned at this. King?! He stuttered as he tried to think "I-I'm not a dragon, why would you name me your king?!" he asked incredulously.

"It is for that reason we name you king! We dragons are stubborn, prideful, arrogant, and violent! None of us could be a leader without a war! However you? The one who has saved our kin time and time again?! The one who values peace and the safety of our kind like no other?! A non dragon who speaks our tongue?! We do not ask that you lead, only that you help and protect what we cannot. If you call for aide then we shall answer. Please Dragon-Friend, do you accept your kingship?" Galdon asked.

Marcus blinked a few times and actually poked his side trying to figure out if this was real or not. After a few seconds he finally found the courage to speak.

"Yes, I accept." he said softly.

All of the dragons blew fire and roared in approval before the Ironbelly stepped forward "Come my king! I shall return you to your home." he said lowering his neck. Marcus climbed on the massive dragons neck and it rose into the sky.

He could see the devastation that the battle had brought, the Citadel was completely submerged beneath the depths of the ocean. He could see the sea dragons tearing into the metal and ripping it to pieces. As the Ironbelly flew him back to Hogwarts over the rolling highlands of Scotland Marcus couldn't help but worry.

Nile was still missing, he was named a king, and he had killed Morgan Le Fay.

This whole time he had steeled his nerves but now that he was out of danger he broke down in sobs. So much death, so much death! There was only one person Marcus could talk to about this horrific event.

It was time he and Dumbledore talked.

 **REVIEW! Thank you to Traxamania who created that entire fight scene between the dragons and Knights! Thanks Trax it was awesome!**


	105. Chapter 105

"Now Mr. Dine I must insist that you stop what you are doing. I'm afraid that you cannot access the Headmasters office unless given invitation or you _are_ the Headmaster!" Professor Sprout declared. Marcus wasn't listening as he approached the eagle statue, he was maybe ten feet away when the statue moved to form stairs.

Sprout stopped in her tracks as Marcus walked up the steps and approached the door. It was locked, no doubt with enchantments but Marcus took out his wand...his wand...he looked down at the strange magical object that now answered to him and only him. He gave a shaky breath as he focused on his hand that held the Dragon Wand, it was covered in blood and ash and would not stop shaking.

"Alohomora!" he said softly and the lock turned and the door creaked open. The room was silent, the only sound was Fawkes letting out small sounds as he slumbered. Marcus walked up to the desk of the Headmaster that was empty and ventured past it and up the stairs.

Dumbledore stood silently at the balcony staring at the sky, he glanced at Marcus for only a second before returning his gaze to horizon. He took a deep breath as Marcus approached "It disappoints and amazes me the naivety of young minds. They can be more resilient than the strongest armor or as weak as a twig. Take you and the boy Andrew, while he fell for the deceptions of evil you never strayed from morality. He will be punished accordingly but I fear the damage is done. How the Grudges were able to sneak into the grounds I am not sure but we now know that it was him that helped them. I am truly sorry for your friend Marcus...as am I sorry for young Caleb last year. I never had any intention of anyone coming to harm, yes I know I believe I am contradicting myself. I didn't want anyone to come to harm and yet I knowingly used you to lure Cassius out. I know it is an insult to even think of asking for your forgiveness but...I am." he said quietly never breaking his gaze.

Marcus stood next to the man and leaned against the railing, he noticed that Dumbledore was wearing the Ring of the Highlord and that his hand was as black and skeletal like as Sionis looked so long ago. He was dead now...as was his grandmother, and his grandfather, and Caleb, and Cedric...so much death.

"A day ago I would have told you to go to hell for even mentioning any of those names. However, life is a precious thing and those I've lost...they wouldn't want me to be against you. So...yes Professor Dumbledore, I do forgive you." Marcus found himself saying though he had no idea where he found the courage to say that.

Dumbledore gave a very faint smile and finally turned to look at him "Thank you Marcus, I also have heard of your recent ascension. I believe congratulations are in order." he said. Marcus was shocked that Dumbledore already knew of his new title to King of the Dragons, but the man just chuckled "While you may have resented me deeply I still cared for your well being. I have been keeping a close eye on your whereabouts since the school year started." he explained.

Marcus nodded he should have expected as much, Dumbledore is always one for secrecy and gathering information. Marcus turned to the Headmaster "Just because I have forgiven you does not mean I will rejoin the order. I've lost too much to be persuaded back in." he said sternly.

The man nodded "Fair enough, I will ask of nothing from you. However if I may indulge my curiosity...your wand. May I see it?" he asked gesturing to the Dragon Wand in the boys hand. Marcus handed it over and Dumbledore took it and inspected it with great interest "Fascinating. Simply fascinating!" he said smiling as he handed it back to Marcus who put it in his pocket, all of his other wands were in his trunk in his dorm. He still had his cane on hand and noticed that much like Lucius Malfoys cane the dragon head could be taken off. Likely this was so he could fashion the Dragon Wand into his cane for safe keeping.

"Now Mr. Dine, I must ask you. Last year in that cave, what did you see? I apologize for my bluntness but unfortunately time is one of the few things we don't have but desperately need." Dumbledore explained before Marcus could interject in anger about that day.

"I will tell you if you do one thing for me." he stated and Dumbledore nodded. He held up his cane and the Dragon Wand "Any way you can connect the two, my guess is you were the one who ordered this cane to be made meaning you expected me to defeat Morgana." he said and the Headmaster merely shrugged as he took the cane and carefully took the wand and walked down the stairs.

He sat at his desk and pulled out his wand and began fusing the Dragon Wand to the cane. While he did this Marcus spoke "The cave is...evil. It's not right. I went in and found it so much bigger than it appeared, I remember a lake and a small island in the middle. I recall on the island there was this weird...pedestal? I'm not sure I never got a good look at it because of Cassius. The water is the most terrifying though, Inferius are under it. I don't know how many but...enough to kill..." Marcus took a deep shaky breath as he continued "...enough to kill a Chimaera." he finished.

Dumbledore nodded "I had expected as much, after last year I have not gone to the cave nor have I sent anyone to inspect it. Thank you for this Marcus. Ah there we are!" he exclaimed before lifting the cane and handing it to Marcus.

He grasped it firmly and looked at the silver dragon head with the yellow eyes then pulled it out and his newly acquired wand was on the end of it. The dragon head worked as the handle and it curved to fit his hand perfectly as well. He put the wand away and leaned on his cane before giving a nod and starting for the door.

"Marcus one last thing..." Dumbledore said as he reached for the door handle. He turned to face the Headmaster "Are you okay? Defeating Morgana is one thing but...defeating your grandmother is another. I know the feeling of having a family member who is seen as evil and a villain. Are you okay?" he asked.

Marcus took a deep breath and nodded though he could not get Morganas words out of his head

 _"I made the Le Fay name feared please undo the harm that I caused."_

How? How do you undo that kind of damage? Morgana had sowed fear and chaos into the hearts of all who opposed her and that kind of villainy cannot be undone. She had regretted everything, she had been blind in her hatred and she _knew_ that in the end she was not evil she was simply...misguided. He looked down at his wand that just a few hours ago had belonged to one of the most foul and wicked witches in history.

"If you will allow me to give you some advice?" he asked cautiously as he was still careful not to anger Marcus. He nodded gratefully "Do not try to atone for what one person in your family did Marcus. Morgan was her own person and she knew what she was doing. This does not define who we are it certainly does not define who you are Marcus. While she was darkness you are a beacon of hope for you family. You have made great strides in your time here. Dare I say Marcus you just might be one of the best students I have ever had." he said with a kind smile.

Marcus gave a small smile as Dumbledore yawned "And with that Is suggest we get some sleep." Dumbledore announced and started back to his desk. He gave another tired smile "Good night Mr. Dine." he said through another yawn.

Marcus had been thinking hard about this decision, ever since Morgana had died. While it wasn't his job to repair what she did...she was still family.

"Le Fay." he said and Dumbledore turned and cocked his head curiously. Marcus took a deep breath as he steeled his nerves and looked confidently at his Headmaster.

"My last name may be Dine but I'm a Le Fay. Morgana may have ruined that name but she once said that being a Le Fay was my birthright and she was correct. I don't want to hide anymore, the world may see my family as the Dines and my parents may not like being known as the descendants of Morgana and the people may just know me as the son of two Aurors but my name is Marcus Dine, grandson of Morgan Le Fay, and I'm going to make sure the world knows me for the things that I have done not for what my grandmother or parents had done!" he said confidently.

Dumbledore gave a genuine grin "Spoken like a true great wizard. Follow that Marcus and you will accomplish anything. Good night." he said and Marcus walked out of the room. He reached the end of the stairs and started walking using his cane for a little support for his leg that had been a little hurt in the battle at the Citadel.

As he walked down to the dungeons to his dorm he heard footsteps, he quickly ducked into the shadows making sure to cover the citrine gem eyes of his cane so they did not gleam. He saw light around the corner and saw that it was someone who had cast Lumos. He pressed himself against the wall and then quickly turned himself into a wolf a curling into a ball.

He lifted his head slightly as the footsteps got louder and louder and then his shut his eyes and he felt the light wash over him. The footsteps faltered slightly and then continued, going past him and up some stairs towards the towers.

Marcus lifted his head and saw a young man making his way up the stairs.

Draco Malfoy.

What was he doing up? Why was he going to the towers? Marcus quickly changed back and carefully followed Draco making sure to stay in he darkness so he didn't see him. Finally Draco stopped in one of the halls and looked around, Marcus ducked behind a corner so he wasn't spotted and then heard a strange sound as if stone was grinding on stone.

He looked back and saw Malfoy was gone and a large door that was not there a second ago was now at the end of the hall.

The Room of Requirement.

Marcus ran over and quickly entered the room, it was filled with hundred upon thousands of random pieces of junk. He could hear Draco somewhere moving objects but he could not see him. Marcus crouched down and made his way through the room keeping an eye out for the Slytherin.

He rounded a corner and suddenly one of the mountains of junk next to him started shaking and then without warning it collapsed. Marcus only had time to gasp as chairs and tables and random gadgets fell on top of him. His arms and legs were pinned and his cane was just out of reach as he groaned in pain under the weight of the objects. He heard footsteps and then Malfoy climbed down from the rubble and stood in front of Marcus with a glare.

"Well look who it is. The Dragon Dueler! Or do you prefer Dragon King?! God you annoy me!" Malfoy snarled as Marcus continued to wiggle his arms to reach his cane, if he could just reach it then he could get out of there. Malfoy knelt down in front of Marcus "You really know how to be a thorn don't you? Always lurking and being oh so perceptive. Always using that...big...brain...of yours." he said emphasizing each word with poking Marcus in the head.

He was just a few centimeters away from the cane...just a little more.

"But I'm actually glad you're here. Never been able to talk to just you." he said standing up and sitting in a chair that was in front of him. Marcus kept struggling under the crushing weight, normally he could probably just use wandless magic but he was in too much pain to focus and if he cast the wrong spell he might break his cane or send it flying somewhere in this endless room.

"You must think you're so special! Being able to talk to dragons, surviving a werewolf attack, being the star of the Quidditch team, being soooooo smart! You know what I think you are?! A coward! Every single time the situation gets difficult you run to your parents to protect you! It's pathetic!" he growled.

If Marcus wasn't in such pain he'd point out that not only was it not true about running for his parents but that Malfoy does that more than him and he's much more of a coward than Marcus _ever_ was.

"And you even...agh you even got my father fired! You got him disgraced in the Ministry! He's in Azkaban because of you and your entire family!" Malfoy shouted. Marcus shifted slightly and finally got a firm grip on his cane, he'd be able to use his wand through the cane so he did not have to unsheathe it.

"Well I'm sick and tired of you and I'm ending this right now!" he said taking out his wand just as Marcus delivered a blast to the junk that was on top of him. Objects flew everywhere and Malfoy flinched as Marcus got to his feet and drew his wand. Draco laughed "Only one wand now? Couldn't handle two?!" he asked laughing.

Marcus cut it short when he fired a Knockback jinx so powerful that Malfoy and a few dining tables were thrown back. Marcus was a little shocked at the Dragon Wands power, any spell was so much stronger than two wands could ever conjure no matter the combination.

"I don't even know if I can handle one in this case..." Marcus muttered to himself before he saw that Malfoy was getting up and running. He grit his teeth and chased after the younger man, Draco waved his wand sending cabinets and chests falling trying to hit Marcus but he either dodged them or blasted them out of the way as he started to gain on Malfoy. He was up to something sinister Marcus was sure of it with the way he was asserting himself. It was something he wanted no one to know about.

Malfoy knocked down a couple chairs and Marcus cursed at the block and quickly turned into a wolf and climbed over mountains of junk and spotted Draco running for the door. He took off, leaping onto the ground before chasing him in a full sprint. Draco wasn't looking back so he didn't see that Marcus was now in his animagus thankfully, he didn't need someone like Draco Malfoy knowing his secret.

He leaped towards Draco and mid leap he turned back and crashed into the young man, slamming him into the wall and knocking him to the ground. Marcus pointed his wand at Draco "What are you doing here Draco?! What are you looking for?!" he demanded as Malfoy wiped some blood from his lips and grinned.

Marcus was confused at his smile "You really...really suck at realizing...what's around you." he said with heavy breathing. Marcus was confused when suddenly he heard a laugh in the distance. He looked around as the sound echoed throughout the whole room.

"Why act all heroic? You're just a little...itty...bitty...baby." a female voice echoed and Marcus's blood ran cold. He knew that voice...he knew it so well that it kept him up at nights sometimes. The person turned the corner and grinned as she held her wand out and Marcus found himself frozen in place. He felt stabbing pain all over his body as he struggled to move but failed.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Well now...you're the one that hurt my dear brother Rabastan! He has a permanent limp and scarred face because of you!" she said with a glare. Malfoy got to his feet "Now the question is...what do we do with you? Who is this boy anyhow Draco?" she asked curiously.

"This is Marcus Dine." he answered and Bellatrix grinned widely.

"Amelia and Seamus...oh dear me you are in serious trouble boy." she said giddily.

"Aunt Bellatrix you shouldn't be here. The cabinet isn't fully fixed you're lucky you didn't get torn apart! It still needs mending." he growled and the veteran Death Eater sighed before she lowered her wand and Marcus collapsed to the ground, his lip being cut in the process. Malfoy now looked more worried than angry "Just...leave and I'll summon you when the time is right! I'll deal with Marcus! Just go!" he shouted.

Bellatrix sighed in annoyance but walked away and out of sight. Malfoy walked over and kicked Marcus in the shoulder so that he was on his back groaning in pain. Draco sighed heavily but knelt down crushing Marcus's shoulder with his knee as he put his wand to the Hufflepuff forehead.

"Just what you've seen here...that's all I'm taking. Until right before you saw me, you'll think you just went to bed and was too tired to remember how you got there. Just...stay still." he warned and Marcus struggled violently but Malfoy put his forearm against his throat and his feet against his legs and used his body weight to keep his arms in place while the wand was against his head.

"Malfoy don't do this! You know better! I know you do! Don't do this!" Marcus shouted and he saw Malfoy wrestling with the thought of this. Then he steeled his gaze and pressed the wand harder against his temple.

"MALFOY PLEASE STOP!" Marcus shouted knowing that this was an incredibly dangerous spell if cast incorrectly! It could result in brain damage and in some cases even death or madness.

Malfoy took a shaky breath before he uttered the word...

"Obliviate."

Blackness consumed Marcus.

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	106. Chapter 106

Marcus opened his eyes and was immediately hit with a splitting headache. He groaned and massaged his temples until the pain was reduced to a dull throb, he looked around and saw that he was in the Dining Hall. He must have come down for a midnight snack and fallen asleep? He racked his brain trying to remember the night before after his talk with Dumbledore but for the life of him couldn't.

He saw his cane propped up next to him and a large silver jug of water was in front of him, he grabbed the jug and immediately started to drink. Almost instantly his headache was gone as he downed the large amount of ice cold water. He was so thirsty that as soon as he was done drinking he took another large ten second drink.

He lowered the jug and then saw his reflection in it and frowned. How did he get that cut on his lip? He didn't remember getting hurt in any way that would cut his lip. Marcus set the jug down and grabbed his cane and opened it to make sure that last night was not a dream. As soon as he saw the bone white material of the Dragon Wand he put it away and stood up only for him to fall on the ground in pain. All of his joints hurt! What happened last night?!

He took out the his wand and raised it to his lip "Episkey!" he uttered and he felt his split lip mend. He ran his tongue over his lips and felt no scarring, this wand was something else! As he put his wand away he realized something about his clothes.

They were clean! They seemed freshly washed! Last night after the Battle of the Citadel his clothes were shredded and covered in ash. Now he was wearing his usual dress shirt, yellow/black tie, black sweater, black shoes, and black pants. All of them looked freshly made as if last night never happened, but last night _did_ happen.

So why doesn't he remember some of it!?

The thought left him as people started to file into the room for breakfast, since it was the holidays many people had gone home to be with their families but Marcus and his friends...he stopped himself. His friends are gone. Sam is in a coma that he caused, Nile is being held prisoner by his parents, Anna is in the Ministry, and Dan is in America. He's alone.

All alone.

Marcus rubbed the last bits of sleep out of his eyes and left the room making his way to the infirmary. He entered and saw a few teachers huddled around Sams bed. Marcus frowned "What's going on?" he asked loudly and they all stopped and turned to look at him.

"Marcus?" a voice behind them said, they all parted to show Sam sitting up in his bed. Marcus stopped thinking and grinned widely as he ran over to hug his friend. Sam was hesitant but hugged him back, "What...What happened? I remember us dueling and then not very much after that. Wait...is that snow outside!? What month is it!?" he asked as he stared out the window in shock.

"It's...it's early January. You've been out for about three months, Sam I'm so sorry! I never meant to hurt you I let my anger take over and I accidentally put you in a coma...I hope you can forgive me." he said hanging his head in shame.

Sam scoffed and chuckled a little "Who hasn't put their friends in a coma! We're good Marcus just please don't do that again. My neck is really stiff right now. Wait what about my classes I mean three months that's-" Sam started but Marcus cut him off.

"I've been gathering your assignments and taking notes for your classes. I'll help you catch up when you are fully recovered don't worry about that." Marcus explained and Sam let out a sigh of relief and nodded as Marcus helped him out of bed. He stumbled a little but got his balance quick as Madame Pomfrey walked over to them.

"As soon as you have your strength you will be free to leave and Mr. Dine? I hope to not see you twice in two days." she said and Marcus frowned.

Twice in two days? He looked at the doctor "Madame Pomfrey I haven't been hospitalized once this year. What do you mean?" he asked completely confused.

Madame Pomfrey stared at him "Dear boy you were here just last night. I come in and find you unconscious in one of my beds. I do not know how you got there but I cleaned you up and healed any wounds you had and gave you a fresh set of clothes. I leave for a few minutes to get you a cup of water and you had vanished into thin air." she explained.

Marcus was now more confused than ever. He had been in the Hospital last night? Why? Sure he had just been in a massive battle with dragons and evil wizards but he had made it out relatively unscathed. If he had been in the hospital why did he leave? Why was he unconscious? If he was unconscious _how_ did he leave and end up in the Dining Hall? How did he put the clothes on if he was unconscious?

"I had to make sure you didn't give any other students in here nightmares. Here you were laying in a bed muttering randomly in that dragon language of yours. One student thought we were under attack and ran out of the room only to fall on the ground with his broken leg." she elaborated and the two Hufflepuffs had to suppress their snickers at the thought.

Marcus then noticed a girl he recognized laying in the bed nearby.

"Katie?" he asked out loud as he walked over to her and Madame Pomfrey sighed heavily as she nodded. Katie was randomly seizing as if she was possessed.

"She was cursed...no one is sure how. Harry Potter had this strange theory on how she came to be in possession of that opal necklace." Pomfrey said and Marcus looked at her. They had a silent argument and Marcus won "He believes it was Draco Malfoy." she explained.

Marcus winced and grabbed his head at the sound of his name. Suddenly a rush of random shattered images flowed through his mind but they made no sense. He saw a bunch of junk piles, Draco running, and then someones wand against his head. They made no sense to him and he struggled to try and understand them but failed.

"Hey Marcus? Is it cool if we head back to the dorm? I'd love to just rest up in a real bed and everyone knows Hufflepuffs have the best beds." he said and Marcus pushed all the fragments of whatever that was out of his mind.

He grinned "Sure buddy! Come on!" he said as he and Sam left the room and made their way down the stairs. They entered the dormitory and were met with the entire dorm in complete cinders!

Nax was flying around blowing fire and Hufflepuff students were screaming and trying to put the fires out but a lot of the furniture in the Common Room was flammable.

"Where is he!? Where is my master!? Answer me Warm Bloods!" Nax shrieked as he set a chair on fire. Marcus gave a sharp whistle and Nax stopped and looked over to see his owner "Master! Ah you have returned! I am glad to see you alive!" the miniature dragon said as it landed in his hair and snuggled into it.

Marcus smiled sheepishly as all of the young Hufflepuffs glared at him and put out the last of the fires. Zach seemed the most upset as he batted out his flaming sleeve "Keep that thing caged Dine! Either that or put it down! I don't care which!" he said angrily and Marcus rolled his eyes as he took out his wand and waved it across the room.

The entire room shook as everything fixed itself and went back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. All of the First and Second years seemed okay with the dilemma now that it was resolved with no consequences but Zach was still upset.

"Oh now you're showing off!?" he asked and Marcus just sighed in annoyance with this kid. He always had something to say about everything, how was he a Hufflepuff?! He knew that with some people if they didn't have enough traits for any house they went into Hufflepuff but this was ridiculous he wanted to take this to the Headmaster but it wasn't really his place. Marcus knew he had no real power in the house other than being the Quidditch Captain but ever since Cedric had died the House had been treating him as a de facto leader, but he wasn't this was a family not a government everyone is their own person. No matter how rude, obnoxious, and self centered they were.

Sam and Marcus pushed past Zach and entered the bedroom. Marcus helped Sam into bed and he fell asleep almost instantly. Marcus sighed as he sat on his bed and looked at the Dragon Wand, he then looked at his trunk that contained all his other wands. Five wands were now in his possession, for years he has been dueling and learning with two wands in hand and now he owned a wand that was more powerful than two wands put together.

What was he supposed to do now that he owned it? Morgana is dead, the Knights have fallen, he was now the ruler of all dragon kind which was something he was still trying to wrap his head around. He sheathed his wand and got out of bed while pushing those thoughts out of his head.

He needed a distraction.

Quidditch.

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	107. Chapter 107

"Take that side!" Marcus yelled to Maxine and the two Beaters flew in unison next to a Gryffindor Chaser. Marcus swung his bat and the Chaser ducked and that distracted him long enough for Maxine to hit a bludger right towards him. Marcus flew out of the way and while the Chaser was not hit by the bludger he avoided it too quickly and fell of his broom as he dodged it.

The two Beaters cheered as the rest of Hufflepuff teamed joined them in their flight. Marcus grinned as he gripped his bat tightly "Stay in formation!" he ordered and everyone nodded as they went in V formation and flew around the field. A Gryffindor Beater approached them and Marcus gestured for Maxine to go on the other side of her. They had been practicing this move for a while now and were sure they could pull it off.

Marcus and Maxine flew closer and closer flanking the player and then without warning they both threw their bats at him. He ducked and Maxine kicked his broom knocking him off it, they then grabbed the others bat as it passed by them. Marcus laughed as he caught sight of Harry Potter flying around in a crazy way, he must have seen the snitch.

Marcus looked around for their Seeker and caught sight of Summerby watching the game "Hey!" Marcus shouted and he looked at him. He pointed to Harry "Go for the snitch!" he ordered and Summerby nodded and took off after Harry.

Marcus then continued hurling bludgers at the other team when someone rammed him. He grunted in pain a little and looked to see Ginny Weasley pushing against him holding the Quaffle in her hand. She grinned "You are definitely one of the better players Dine! I'm almost impressed with your tenacity for the game!" she said as she tried to hit Marcus with the ball.

He quickly ducked and shoved her a little bit away but was laughing the whole time "Same to you Ginny! Never seen someone take to the game so quickly! Besides Harry and myself of course." he said over the roar of the wind and the crowd. They both laughed as they kept trying to knock each other off and at the same time making pleasant conversation. After a few minutes Marcus saw Harry and Summerby closing on the snitch "Well this has been fun but I have a game to win!" Marcus said and swung his bat for Ginny's stomach.

She was quicker than he realized when she grabbed the bat and stopped him, then ripped the bat from his grasp and and then she swung it right into the side of his head.

Normally that would have maybe dazed him for a second or so but the moment it struck his temple multiple images flew through his brain...

He saw Ballatrix Lestrange, Malfoy skulking in the halls at night, a bunch of junk falling on top of him, and he felt like someone had frozen him in place and pain overwhelmed his body at the same time. After a few seconds he heard someone calling his name. His mind cleared and the images faded away into nothingness as the voice became louder.

"DINE!" Ginny's voice sounded and that was when he realized too late that he was heading right for the teachers stands. The staff of Hogwarts all ran out of the way and Marcus crashed right into benches ripping through them and he could feel his broom snapping in half as he flew off it. He went right through the benches and crashed into the stairs on the inside of the large stand. He landed in front of multiple teachers and fell down the stairs breaking multiple bones as he tumbled down, down, down until finally he hit solid ground and laid there gasping for air.

The teachers all ran down to help Marcus but he couldn't register anything it was like those images had shut off his nerves as he racked his brain trying to remember them. As quickly as they had entered his mind he now couldn't remember a single thing he saw.

He was eventually lifted on a stretcher and taken away, he caught a glimpse of the game he was taken away and saw Harry kick Summerby away and grab the snitch ending the game. He sighed as the whistles blew but after that he only focused on the pain that racked through his body as he was taken to the castle. Eventually they reached the Hospital and Madame Pomfrey gave him a stern look and he he gave her an innocent smile "At least I spaced them out?" he said softly and she just rolled her eyes and worked her magic.

"Well luckily its just a few broken bones, here just give me a few minutes." she said and he nodded as she worked her magic...quite literally. Soon his bones felt so much better and she discharged him "Now...this is your final year Mr. Dine and we should have words." Pomfrey stated and Marcus nodded as he rubbed his sore neck and sat up in the bed.

She took a seat next to him "It was your first day...you didn't know how to control a broom and you had shattered your nose entirely. That was the first time you and I became acquainted with the other. Over the years I have watched you grow by coming into this room for more extreme injuries each time. I was sad to always see you in here and now...I'm sad to see you go." she said and Marcus smiled.

She held out her hand and he took it "Thank you for everything Madame Pomfrey, no doubt I never would have survived school if it hadn't been for you. Thank you." he said and she nodded with a smile and then went to tend to other students. Marcus sighed with content as he quickly changed, grabbed his cane, and made his way to the Dining Hall for lunch. He cracked his back and groaned at his now mended joints before walking in.

He saw Sam inhaling food like he always did and he grinned widely as he sat down. The second Sam saw him he gulped down all the food in his mouth "Dude are you okay?! That was one bad fall! Everyone has been talking about it!" he said.

Marcus just shook his head "Of course they are, I'm fine don't worry I'm...I'm..." his voice trailed off as he saw Malfoy enter the room. He looked worried and Marcus followed his gaze to see Harry Potter talking with a now fully healed Katie Bell. Marcus saw Harry look at Malfoy and then Malfoy left the room and Harry quickly followed him, Marcus knew this couldn't be anything but bad. He quickly got up and chased after the two Six years.

He lost them almost immediately, Malfoy must have been running. Marcus searched for them and then ran right into Professor Snape who glared at him fiercely "Dine." he said curtly. Marcus rolled his eyes in annoyance at the teacher "You have not seen Mr. Draco Malfoy today have you?" he asked sternly.

Marcus blinked "I'm actually looking for him now." he answered just before they heard a loud crash. The two looked at each other and knew what to do, they both drew their wands and ran towards the crashing and exploding. Marcus shoulder bashed the door to the bathroom and knocked the door open to find it in complete disarray. Snape followed him in and they both found a horrible sight.

Harry Potter standing over Malfoy, the blonde Slytherin having severe lacerations across his body. Marcus was in shock as Snape walked over and glanced at Harry before kneeling over Malfoy. Harry left the bathroom while Snape tended to the boy but Marcus was unsure why...Malfoy looked like he wasn't moving and there was too much blood on the ground for him to still be alive.

Marcus quickly ran after Harry and stopped him, he looked close to crying "What happened in there?! Did you kill him?!" he demanded to know.

Harry glared at him "Why do you care?!" he asked it was clear he was extremely emotional. Marcus demanded to know the spell that was used because what _was_ that?! What kind of beast would create a spell like that?! Every time he pried though Harry would say the same thing, he would only say "You don't want to know." and yes maybe Marcus didn't really want to know because if he knew what spell was used it would keep him more awake at night then he already was.

He let the conversation drop and Harry walked away and out of sight. Marcus looked back at the destroyed bathroom and shuddered as he heard Snape...singing? He walked over to the door and heard him more clearly now.

 _"Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur. Vulnera Sanentur."_ he spoke three times and Marcus could see the blood on the ground begin to recede. He stepped back into the room and saw Snape closing up Malfoys wounds, what spell was that?! Why are people using spells that not even he has heard of?!

"What is that?" he asked startling Snape, the man only glared and said nothing. Marcus stepped closer "Severus? That spell is not a known healing spell...believe me I know about healing spells. How did you find out about it...like that spell was made to counteract whatever the hell Harry did to Malfoy." he asked and Snape continued to not speak.

"Snape...what did you do?" Marcus asked cautiously and Snape stood up holding Malfoy in his arms.

"One more word...and one hundred points will be deducted from Hufflepuff. Go back to whatever hole you were hiding in Mr. Dine." Severus said and walked out of the room. Marcus didn't move from that spot as he began to put some pieces together. Something was going on and he needed to figure out what it was.

He needed to stop Snape.

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	108. Chapter 108

"Marcus, Severus Snape is not up to anything foul. I trust the man with my life, I vouch for his loyalty if that means anything to you." Dumbledore said to the Hufflepuff as they were walking into the Astronomy Tower.

"It does yes but not enough for me to not be suspicious. He's always lurking around...more than usually I mean. Something just isn't right." Marcus explained as they climbed the stairs. The duo remained silent the rest of climb up until they reached the top.

Dumbledore sighed "You should head back to your classes Marcus. Just because your final exams are over does not mean you can let your education deteriorate." he said and Marcus nodded and walked away.

Right as he reached the stairs he stopped and turned to the Headmaster "Dumbledore? If someone was hit with a spell that lacerated them horrifically to the point of extensive blood loss and most likely soon followed by death...what spell would you use to heal them?" Marcus asked curiously.

Dumbledore frowned and thought for a moment before shaking his head "I'm sorry Marcus I do not know who you know who has suffered that kind of injury but I can assure there is no known spell that would be able to save that person in time. Lacerations are exceptionally devastating injuries that are nearly impossible to stop in time. You would have to slow blood flow and then knit the wounds while at the same time keeping the person from dying of the blood loss. No healing spell that I know of exists that would be able to save that person." he explained.

Marcus nodded and thanked the Headmaster before making his way down the tower. He knew it! He knew something was wrong when he heard Snape healing Malfoy! Snape must have invented that healing spell and if he invented the healing spell that means he knew that it was suppose to counteract that curse! Which could only lead to one conclusion.

That curse was created by Snape!

Marcus ran into Harry Potter just as he exited the tower and he looked worried as the two stared at each other "Watch over my friends while I'm gone will you?" he asked softly. Marcus nodded and gave him a smile and pat on the back before leaving. He quickly made his way up into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Snape was mixing a brew that smelled strange, though potions generally did not smell very good regardless.

"You and I need to talk." Marcus said as he shut the door. Snape nodded curtly as he put the potion into two glasses and sat down at his desk. Marcus stood in front of the desk glaring at the professor menacingly, Snape said nothing as the two stared at each other.

Then Snape pushed one of the two glasses in front of Marcus "Try this, it's a new sight brew I'm working on. It is meant to increase vision and make you see microscopic details from a distance. Then we shall talk." he said with an unusually soft voice.

Marcus rolled his eyes and knew he would never get anywhere unless he got it over with. He grabbed the glass and quickly downed the whole thing in one gulp. He set the glass down and glared at Snape "I know about the curse Severus. I know that you created it! I don't know how Harry found out about it but if you were the one that invented it and no one knew about the healing counter curse than clearly you were the only one that knew about the curse. I have asked every teacher in the school and they all said the same thing! A laceration would be completely fatal! You cured Malfoy! That curse is yours which makes you partially responsible for the attempted murder of Draco Malfoy!" Marcus ranted.

Snape said nothing and did not make any facial expression to express emotion he just simply stared at his cauldron. Marcus sighed in annoyance "That's it?! Nothing to say about that?! You get a boy nearly killed and you have no defense?!" Marcus shouted and he shook his head a little because it was feeling fuzzy.

Snape finally looked at Marcus "The only thing I shall defend is why I did this to you." he said calmly. Marcus gave a confused expression when he realized that the fuzzy feeling was growing stronger. He grabbed his head trying to stop the world from spinning. He stumbled back and knocked over a few chairs as he tried to keep his balance.

"What...Wh-What did you do?!" Marcus gasped as he tripped over one of the chairs. He hit the ground and the world was turning black, Snape appeared standing over him holding the empty glass in hand.

"Acromantula venom...that was the key ingredient...thank you for that Marcus. For once you did the right thing." he said before walking away. Marcus tried to grab the table and haul himself up but then he felt his hand go limp and slip. He was breathing rapidly as his heart rate increased drastically and then his vision tunneled.

Then darkness.

 **A few hours later.**

Marcus gasped as his eyes fluttered open. He turned his head and saw that it was very dark out, clouds covered the sky and looked ominous. He sat up and grabbed his head, which was killing him, he thought that Snape had poisoned him but it must have been an extremely potent poison that acted as a paralytic and was meant to knock him out.

Then his eyes widened...Snape _poisoned_ him! He had never been more angry than he felt in that moment, Dumbledore said he trusted Severus with his life and then he immediately attacked a student! Marcus got up and ran out of the room, Dumbledore might not be back from his mission but Aurors were patrolling the castle he was going to have Snape in chains by the end of the night!

He found one of the Aurors standing right outside the Great Hall. Marcus ran up to him "Listen we don't have much time but Severus Snape poisoned me! We need to-" Marcus was mid sentence when the Auror was blasted off his feet and into the room.

He turned just in time for Snape to hit him in the chest with the same spell and he was thrown into the Great hall and he slammed his back into the table and fell onto the ground. He was groaning as Snape led a team of Death Eaters through the room, Malfoy was with him and he also recognized the Carrow siblings and Fenrir Greyback and...

"Hello boy!" Bellatrix Lestrange said cackling loudly. In that moment all of the memories flooded back at once, he had gone into the Room of Requirement after Malfoy! Bellatrix had been there and Malfoy obliviated him!

Marcus quickly got to his feet and drew his wand from his cane "SNAPE!" Marus shouted before firing a bunch of curses at the Death Eaters. Snape blocked his spells but it was clear they were difficult to block because of the strength of the spells. Malfoy appeared next to Snape and fired a curse which threw Marcus across the room and into a wall. He slid down and hit the ground hard, he coughed violently and his vision blurred but he slowly got to his feet where Snape was talking to the Death Eaters.

"To the forest, come on!" he ordered and they started leaving when Marcus started after them. Snape saw him approaching and glanced at Fenrir who nodded and then he put his wand away and left with the others. Marcus growled as Fenrir grinned showing his sharpened teeth.

"Come on then! What are you waiting for?!" Marcus taunted and the werewolf charged him and Marcus charged him as well. He jumped up on the table grabbing a plate and bringing it down on Fenrirs head. The man yelped like a wolf as Marcus punched his shoulder and hooked his arm under his and threw him against the wall.

Fenrir kicked Marcus in the leg and knocked him to his knees. He grabbed Marcus by the neck and then began to viciously punch Marcus as hard as he could across the face. He coughed up blood as Fenrir delivered another devastating blow to his eyes knocking Marcus to the ground.

Fenrir then leaned over and bared his teeth again "You're tough...but I'm tougher! It's nice to let the beast out isn't it?!" he said laughing and Marcus glared before grabbing the man and sinking his teeth right into the his neck. Fenrir quite literally howled in pain as Marcus drew blood and sank his teeth in deeper. He wanted the beast?! Well fine by him!

He tried to pry Marcus off him but he held strong and kicked Fenrirs leg and knocked him off his feet and sank even deeper with his bite. Finally Fenrir drew his wand and blasted Marcus right off him, slamming him across the tables and finally he landed on the ground right by the door to the room.

The larger man got to his feet clutching his neck that was spouting blood before running off to join the others. Marcus didn't feel very well...maybe the poison wasn't fully out of his system. Maybe Fenrirs blood in his mouth wasn't the best thing. Or maybe he had internal bleeding from being thrown around like a rag doll. Maybe it was all three but whatever it was Marcus was struggling to remain conscious.

Then he heard rushing footsteps, he looked over and saw Harry Potter running towards him. He quickly knelt down next to Marcus and rolled him over on his back "Are you okay?!" he asked and the Seventh year nodded weakly. Harry looked like he was crying "They killed Dumbledore..." he said as if he read the boys mind.

Marcus was shocked to say the least, there was no way that was true. Harry then looked extremely angry and before he even asked Marcus read _his_ mind "Forest..." he muttered pointing to the door that the group left through.

Harry nodded "I'll bring help just stay with us buddy." he said before running off after Snape. Marcus was breathing raggedly from the beating that Greyback gave him but stayed awake for who knows how long. He could feel blood pouring out his nose, he was sure one of his eyes would be screwed up now, and he could taste a lot of blood in his mouth.

Finally he slowly looked to his side and saw Pomfrey and Sprout running towards him looking more worried than he had ever seen them. They stopped and slowly lifted Marcus "Oh please stay with us Marcus! You have survived worse! Oh my dear boy!" Sprout said frantically as they rushed him to the Hospital...maybe for the last time.

He had only been thinking about one thing while he was laying there in pain.

Dumbledore was dead and even though he hadn't seen it he knew...

Snape was the one that killed him.

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	109. Chapter 109

The service was long, many people attended the funeral to Albus Dumbledore. Marcus sat next to Shacklebolt and Moody on his left side and his parents were on his right. Marcus winced a little as he stood up, because of his fight with Fenrir Greyback he was going to have to use his cane for his healing leg.

He slowly made his way up to the coffin and stopped a foot away, he gave a small smile "Thank you for believing in me." he whispered softly. The merpeople of the Black Lake began to sing and Nax flew down and landed on Marcus's shoulder.

"Is he gone sir?" he asked curiously as Marcus started to leave. He nodded sadly and Nax lowered his head and gave out a small rumbling noise deep in his throat, the song of mourning among dragons. Marcus made his way out of the service and found a young man standing in front of him.

Daniel Barnes.

"Hey Mark, I came as soon as I heard." he said and Marcus limped over and hugged Dan. He started to cry as Sam and Anna approached them, they hugged Marcus too as he continued to cry. Dan never let go of Marcus as he sobbed into his shoulder "It's okay...it's going to be okay." he said soothingly.

Marcus let go of his friends and hung his head "I...I have something to tell you guys." Marcus said he had been holding this secret in for too long. His friends all looked at him curiously "I've accepted a job...I'll be moving to Romania to help Newt Scamander. I'm leaving." he said and his friends all looked shocked. Marcus took a shaky breath "I know I should have told you all but everything was happening so fast and I didn't want anyone else to be hurt for what I did." he said softly.

Sam was looking at him confused "Wait, so you're going to leave?" he asked and Marcus nodded. Sam still didn't seem to understand as he was lost in thought, "But...we're here. Why are you going there?" he asked slowly.

"Because I can't deal with having my friends get hurt for my actions. Daniel, your parents were tortured because of my family, Sam I put you in a coma because of my anger! Anna? I got you caught in a Devils Snare! I can't do this anymore I can't watch my friends nearly die." he said not being able to look his friends in the eye.

They all stood there in silence for a few minutes, until Dan finally spoke...

"Go." he said and Marcus looked at him "You've been protecting us for years, you deserve to be happy. Go to Romania just please make sure you don't shut us out. Write to us when you can." he said with a smile. Marcus nodded and gave his friends all one more hug before he turned and saw Charlie Weasley and Newt Scamander walking towards him.

"Are you prepared Marcus?" Newt asked and Marcus nodded and they quickly Apparated to Hogwarts. They made their way into the Hufflepuff Common Room where his bag was already packed. He grabbed it and handed it to Charlie, he took it with a smile. Marcus looked at the Common Room that he had called his home for seven years, he looked at the picture of Helga Hufflepuff and the warm smile she was giving felt like it was telling him that what he was doing was okay. It gave him a new surge of confidence as he walked out with the two Magizoologists.

Before they left he made his way back to the funeral that was now adjourned and people were talking and crying. He walked over to Professor Sprout who was wiping her eyes, she saw Marcus and smiled "Ah, you are on your way?" she asked and Marcus nodded. She walked over and pulled Marcus into a hug "I would never say this out loud, but you will always be my most favorite student that has ever been in my house." she said quietly into his ear.

Marcus smiled and hugged her back "I promise to send any exotic herbs I find. Thank you for training me Professor Sprout. You were the one that truly believed in me." he said with tears in his eyes.

"I believe I was also one who believed in you Mr. Dine." a voice said behind him. He turned to see Flitwick and Mcgonagall standing behind him, he wiped the tears away and nodded. He walked over and hugged the two professors as well.

"Thank you Professor Flitwick for training me, for looking out for me when I couldn't defend myself. Also for helping me get through my trauma when I was attacked by a werewolf." he said and the professor smiled and gave him a nod.

He turned to Mcgonagall "Thank you for helping me with the Order. I never would have been able to handle the pressure of being in it at such a young age if it wasn't for you." he said and Mcgonagall smiled as she pulled something out of her robes. A small object wrapped in fabric.

He took it and unwrapped it to reveal two small objects. One was a medallion that was the Hogwarts insignia and the other was a watch that could fit around his wrist, it was in the shape of the Deathly Hollows.

"The Deathly Hollows is for emergency's if you ever need help please don't hesitate to use it and an Order member will come to your aid. As for the other one...we would be honored if you wanted to stay here and teach. Should you ever decide to be here...you need only show us this medallion and you will immediately be given a position. No need for an interview or anything you have more than proven your capability to lead and teach others throughout your time here. Just as well, Albus wanted to give this to you in person as a graduation gift. He recommended you for a teaching position and had this fashioned for you to speed the process." Mcgonagall explained and Marcus nodded as he tied the Hogwarts medallion around his neck and the watch around his wrist.

"Thank you professor...I will consider it. I'd love to teach Magical Creatures or maybe even Defense Against the Dark Arts. God knows I've had my share of dark arts." Marcus said and Mcgonagall nodded.

After that he hugged his parents one last time before he walked over to Charlie and Newt. He grabbed Newts shoulder and Charlie grabbed his other and together the trio Apparated.

Time for Marcus to start his new life.

 **END OF YEAR 7**

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	110. Chapter 110

"Now just calm down buddy!" Marcus shouted to the Welsh Green that refused to listen to any handlers. Marcus ran over as the large dragon blew fire and set a few trees on fire "Hey! What did I tell you about setting trees on fire?!" Marcus shouted firmly.

The dragon lowered his wings and his head "Of course Dragon Lord...forgive me. I do not like how they poke me! It hurts!" the Welsh Green defended. Marcus walked over to where the dragon was gesturing and saw that a pike was stuck in its spine.

"How did that get there? Did you go off the sanctuary? You know it's dangerous to leave while being tended to. You have a broken wing and can't fly from danger." Marcus said as the dragon lowered it neck so that he could climb on. He got a firm grip on the handle of the large spear, "Hold still buddy...this is gonna hurt." he warned before he ripped the spear out. The dragon roared in pain and Marcus quickly jumped off and calmed him down as the other handlers mended the wound with magic.

After it was taken care of the Welsh Green was taken back to his preserve to be with his brothers. The chief handler, a man named Ace, wiped sweat from his forehead as he walked over with a grin "Amazing as always! It's really helping that you have been teaching other handlers Drakkantongue so that we don't get burned as much or eaten." he said and Marcus smiled. He was glad he could put his talents to good use, every handler needs to learn a few phrases in Drakkantongue now that Marcus was there.

"Just make sure he is fed and keep him away from other alphas, he likes a challenge and with his broken wing he could get seriously hurt." Marcus advised and Ace nodded before rushing off to help with other dragons.

Marcus sighed as he made his way into his house, it wasn't much just a small shed with a bed, desk, table to eat, and a bathroom. Lining the walls were pictures of him and his friends and family and his time at Hogwarts. In the corner was a Fireball broomstick, he wasn't sure how they were able to buy it but the Hogwarts staff really wanted him to come back. They had been sending him gifts all year, he never responded though he liked his job here. Nax flew out of his nest that was perched on a shelf and landed on his head, although he had cut his hair short so now Nax tended to fall off his head onto the ground in confusion.

He kept in touch with his friends and wrote as often as he could but that was scarce, being a Dragonologist was a full time job, he had heard that Anna was the Senior Artificer at the Ministry under Scrimgeour, Sam had joined the Weasley brothers and was opening a chain of their store all across the wizarding world. Nile was still missing and Marcus's parents were hunting down the Grudges every chance they got. The only thing that worried him was Daniel...

He had not written to Marcus once in the entire year since he left, never once asking how he was or anything. Marcus wrote to him and his parents too but no one ever got back to him. He thought it was strange but he didn't think much of it.

Suddenly his watch started vibrating, his breathing hitched as he clicked the top off and the face of Shacklebolt came on "Marcus! Finally we can reach you!" he said with a sigh of relief.

"Kingsley? What's wrong?" he asked and he looked like he had not slept in days. Suddenly he was shoved aside and the face of Alastor Moody came into view.

"Shove off Shacklebolt! We have no time! they could be anywhere! No listen here boy, we need to safely move Potter out of the house and we need your help." Moody explained the situation and his plan in it and Marcus didn't know what to think.

Finally he shook his head "Moody I don't know if I can-"

"Oh grow up boy! The world is changing and our enemies are at our doorstep! We need you here and now! If you don't so help me I will burn that sanctuary to the ground until you agree to come!" he shouted and Marcus was shocked at the mans bluntness. Well, they didn't call him mad for nothing.

Marcus sighed "I'll be there in a few hours." he said before he shut the watch and walked outside. Newt and Charlie were talking and laughing when Marcus walked up "I need to go back Newt. I'm sorry but my friends need me." he said.

Newt only smiled "If you think I didn't already know then you need to be much more perceptive. The best of luck to you Marcus, I believe Charlie is leaving as well, for the wedding." he said and Charlie nodded in agreement.

"I'll see you there." he said before vanishing into thin air. Marcus gathered what he had and then Nax flew in front of him.

"Where are we going sir?" he asked excitedly. Marcus gulped, he didn't want to do this. He knew he had no choice though, he picked the tiny rat sized dragon up and set him down on the desk in front of him.

After a few seconds he spoke "I'm leaving...but you are going to stay here." he said and the dragon, though he couldn't exactly show facial expressions he looked very sad. Marcus sat down and faced his pet of seven years "You're happy here. I know you are, you have brothers here and you eat more than you can ever want. You don't need me taking care of you anymore Nax." Marcus explained.

Nax lowered his head "But...you're my only friend." he said softly.

Marcus sighed softly and picked up his dragon "Nax? I will always be your friend. You need to be on your own here. Where you are safe and cared for." he explained. Nax was hesitant but Marcus picked him up and brought him outside "You see those Horntails? Those are your family, they know that you are my favorite and they will do anything to protect you. You are safe." he insisted.

Nax looked at Marcus "Will you visit?" he asked curiously. Marcus nodded and Nax flew up and blew some fire "Then I shall stay here sir! I shall make friends! I shall await your return!" he shouted before he flew off to be with his other Horntails.

Marcus wiped a few tears away before he packed up the rest of his things and then he grabbed his saddle and walked out. He gave three sharp sharp whistles and a loud roar was heard, a massive Ironbelly came into view and landed. It snorted before looking at Marcus "My king! You have called?" he asked and Marcus nodded, he had found the Ironbelly Cassius had tortured and took him into the sanctuary. He had basically adopted him and had taken to calling him Titan because even by Ironbelly standards he was massive.

"We need to get to Britain as soon as possible." he said and the Ironbelly nodded as he fastened the saddle on Titans back and then climbed on. He waved goodbye to all of his friends as Titan took to the skies "You remember the Burrows? That large house I showed you?" he asked and Titan nodded again "Take us there." he ordered.

"As you wish my king!" Titan shouted as he blew fire and they reached greater heights. In just an hour or so Marcus landed at the Burrows where the entire Order of the Phoenix was waiting for him and they all stood there shocked except for Moody.

The half insane Auror inspected Titan "This is the biggest dragon you have?" he asked and Marcus nodded as he slid off the beasts back and gave his parents a hug. Moody walked back over "It will have to do. We will need as much cover fire as possible during this mission. If any Death Eaters are within the vicinity you either warn us or take them out understood?" Moody said and he nodded.

He drew his wand from his cane and started placing protective enchantments on Titan as to make sure he didn't get hurt. Since the protection charms came from the Dragon Wand no wand in the world could truly break through them unless it came from the legendary Elder Wand. However that wand has no current recorded owner, no one knows who has the wand except maybe Gellert Grindlewald.

After he was done he told Titan the plan, immediately he became worried and riled but Marcus calmed him "It's okay boy...you're going to be okay. I'll make sure of it." he promised and Titan finally calmed down and lowered his head. Marcus stroked his snout as he whispered calming sounds to make sure he didn't swing his tail and bring the entire Weasley house down on top of the Order.

Finally night was slowly descending and the Order members all walked out "Are we ready Marcus? You are the Advanced Guard. You shall go ahead of us and clear the path." Lupin said and Marcus nodded. He climbed onto Titan again and gave his family another smile.

Then he took off.

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	111. Chapter 111

It took three hours, three hours just to get to Harry Potters house. He had to clear out over fifty Death Eaters, most Apparated out of terror from Titans sheer size. Those that didn't run were either raked by his claws or burned to a crisp. Marcus felt pity for them, it might not have been the best idea Moody has ever had to just outright kill but it was what needed to be done in the time they had.

"Titan! Down there! That road!" he shouted over the roar of the wind, pointing to the home of Harry Potter. Titan roared and suddenly ten more Death Eaters appeared surrounding the dragon. They started launching a large assault of spells and curses but the shield placed on Titan held well. Marcus sighed knowing this was going to be bad "BARREL ROLL!" he cried and the dragon spun in a circle as quickly as it could. His wings slamming into the dark wizards and sending them plummeting to their deaths.

Marcus sighed, so much death and he never wanted to be a part of it, but this was his life now. He called the Order on his watch and gave them the all clear, it just an hour or so and during that time Marcus had to fight off a few more wizards to protect Harry. Finally the members appeared and Moody flew on his broom next to Marcus, he pat Titans neck to signal not to eat him.

"Good work Dine. Head back to the Burrows your parents need to speak with you. We'll take it from here, it will take hours for those wizards to regroup and during that time..." he took out a small flask "We'll be ready." and Marcus recognized the awful stench of Polyjuice potion.

He nodded before spurring Titan and he took off back to the Burrows. The trip was much shorter as dragons can reach speeds that many would find surprising. Once he landed his parents looked pale and worried, he climbed down "Mom? Dad? I'm okay. Don't worry Titan is really protective of me." as if to prove his point Titan snorted and stepped closer to make sure nothing could surprise them.

"Son? We just learned something, an attack is being launched on the Potter house. It was a trap!" his father said and Marcus forgot how to breathe. No wonder the dark wizards were so easy to defeat...they were bait! To lull them into a false sense of security!

Marcus quickly hopped on Titan "Wait Marcus! We need to tell you something else! Son wait!" Seamus yelled but Marcus was already in the air. He spurred Titan to go faster and soon he saw flashes in the clouds. He broke through and saw a very intense battle, the order was outnumbered fifty to one!

He saw Harry and Hagrid blasting off and a few dark wizards followed but Marcus had bigger problems. He saw Fleur and Bill Weasley being chased by five wizards and Marcus wouldn't have it! Titan knew what to do before he even said, he flew over and slammed into the wizards knocking them off their brooms. Titan blew a torrent of flame through the entire area and set a litany of wizard ablaze, all of them falling to earth like screaming meteors.

That was when he saw Mad Eye.

It all happened so fast but he saw a flash of green, a man vanishing in front of Moody, and the spell hitting him directly in the face. Marcus gasped as Alastor Moody toppled off of his broom as fell lifeless to the ground.

"NO!" Marcus screamed and Titan dive bombed to try and save Moody but in that moment a dark smoky figure came up from the side and slammed into Marcus. They wrestled for a moment as Marcus was thrown off of his dragon. He could see the man clearly now and he knew that no one could look the way Voldemort looked. His red eyes burned into his mind and while he should have been terrified he felt only anger.

Voldemort raised his wand, a wand that looked strangely like a bone, but Marcus took it as they tumbled down to the ground and snapped it in half. Voldemort looked shocked as Marcus grabbed him by his collar

"You killed my best friend! Your ass is mine!" he shouted before he started to punch the Dark Lord, he may have been invincible but he was sure he could still feel pain. The ground was closing in fast but Marcus didn't care this man was responsible for so much pain in his life.

"This is for Cedric!" he said punching him in the chest "This is for my family!" he roared punching him across the cheek. He punched his eye as hard as he could "AND THAT'S FOR MAD EYE!" he shrieked and finally Voldemort shouted and a wave of energy blasted them apart.

Marcus was now in a free fall and was trying to focus so he could Apparate but he was so disoriented that he wasn't able to focus. Then he heard a roar next to him and Titan appeared through the clouds and grabbed him with his claws. He then slowly descended to the ground and released Marcus onto a grassy field, Titan then touched the ground and walked over "Are you alright?" he asked cocking his head.

The young man nodded before stroking the massive dragons snout "Nice save Titan. You are getting the biggest slab of meat that I can find when you get home." he said laughing a little. The dragon hummed in content at the thought, before lowering his head and allowing Marcus to climb on. They took flight "Come on we have to make sure the others are okay!" he said and they made their way to the Burrows once more.

Once they touched down he was immediately tackled in a hug by Fleur "Oh merci Marcus! Merci! You saved us!" she said giving him a kiss on the cheek. Marcus smiled before he saw Bill and Arthur walking up to them.

"Where's Alastor?" Arthur asked and Marcus sighed heavily before telling them what happened. Bill and Arthur were shocked at the news and then they left to go inform the rest of the Order.

"Marcus!" a voice behind him said. He turned and his parents crushed him in a hug "Don't ever run off like that again! Look at you! You're filthy!" Amelia said as she fussed over his scratches and cuts.

"I'm fine mom really I am. It was scary but I'm okay. What did you want to talk to me about? Before I left to go help the others?" he asked curiously.

His parents looked very worried before his father finally spoke up "It's your friends..." he started and Marcus felt his heart rate shoot up to a million beats per second.

"They're in trouble."

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	112. Chapter 112

"Mark please calm down!" Seamus pleaded but Marcus was pacing the yard, the wedding tent was finally up and he was freaking out! His friends were in danger! From what he could gather: Someone had attacked and kidnapped Sam while he was traveling, Anna had gone silent in the Ministry, Nile still was nowhere to be found and neither were his parents, and Dan...

"Tell me again...What happened to Daniel?" he asked with a shaking voice.

Amelia sighed heavily "His parents contacted us...he never made it back to the United States the day after the funeral. We have reports saying that he was supposed to be on a flight but he never showed. We assume the worst, a pure blood supremacist group was involved." she explained.

Marcus looked at his parents curiously, they knew something that they were not telling him. He always knew when they were lying, he father darted his eyes away and his mothers nose crinkled. He knew they would never spill they were trained to take secrets to the grave if need be.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" he asked hoping they would say more, unfortunately they didn't say anything other than that they were handling the situation. They weren't! He knew they were trying to cheer him up but they couldn't! He had to save his friends and they were intentionally keeping him in the dark so he wouldn't do anything!

"Please promise us that you will let us handle this!" his father begged, Marcus may have been able to tell when his parents were lying but they certainly couldn't tell when he was. He just nodded and gave them a small smile which they returned before going back to prepare for the wedding.

He didn't have time to figure things out because he had to get ready for the wedding too. He quickly changed into his suit and before he knew it it was night and he was standing guard with Remus outside the tent. Titan had returned to the sanctuary, while a hundred ton dragon would be a valuable asset in the fights to come his dragons were not weapons. They were living breathing creatures that had their own lives to live and didn't deserve to be wrapped up in the conflicts of humans.

Marcus paced the entrance once more with Lupin passing him "It's too quiet of a night. Too peaceful." Remus muttered when suddenly a flash of blue appeared in the sky. Marcus and Remus stared as it crashed through the tent and into the center of the crowd.

The blue ball took the form of Shacklebolts patronus "The Ministry has fallen...Scrimgeour is dead...They are coming." it echoed before vanishing. Marcus felt his heart beat only once before multiple dark wizards flew into the crowd and started attacking. Marcus pushed Bill and Fleur out of the way of a curse and shot the attacker in the chest, he ducked from another attack as the Order took up arms against the Death Eaters. He saw Remus shout to Harry and his friends and then a Death Eater tackled Marcus to the ground.

Marcus grit his teeth and fired a curse directly into the mans stomach and he went soaring into the air and ripped through the tent and out of sight. He saw another attack Tonks and he quickly rose a shield and then fired the Knockback Jinx that ripped through the tables and even the ground knocking Death Eaters off their feet.

"Fall back! Fall back!" Arthur shouted and everyone Disapparated away, Marcus quickly cast Incendio and nearly engulfed the entire tent in flames. Then he joined the other Order members in retreating, he touched down at the gates of his house with the remaining members.

"Quickly everyone inside!" Seamus said as he coughed from the smoke of the flames. Everyone filed into the large mansion where the House Elves quickly started to tend to the wounded. Marcus quickly made sure everyone was with them, a few were missing including Harry Potter and his friends! He cursed to himself that Harry wasn't safe with them but pushed it out of his mind he had other priorities at the moment.

He quickly broke off from the group and made his way up the stairs. He maneuvered his way through the twisting halls until he came to the study, he opened the door and walked over to his parents desks. He rummaged through them and found what he was looking for, the information that his parents had not told him.

Sam Milligan was being held hostage by Salvius Marrow! The Auror he battled to prove he was strong enough to defend himself. The blood supremacist that hurt him when he was just a little kid. The same man that has been under investigation due to his loyalty to Pure Bloods!

Marcus quickly read through the file: Salvius went MIA three weeks ago, Samuel Milligan went missing just two days later, the description of the kidnapper matched Marrow, and a note was left at the crime scene. Marcus found the note in the back of the file and his breath hitched.

 _Come save him kid. You owe me a rematch._

This was personal, Marrow kidnapped Sam to get at him! He must have still held a grudge for when Marcus beat him in a duel and also stole his wand. Now that the Ministry had fallen he was free to do as he pleased to whomever he wished unfortunately that meant that he could also kill whomever he wanted.

Marcus sat down in the chair and stared at the note for so long the letters started to blur together. With the Ministry of Magic gone there was no one that he could count on to stop Marrow from hurting his friend. Anna had also gone silent and she worked in the Ministry if anyone knew where Anna was it was Marrow.

He heard footsteps and people calling his name from down the hall but Marcus made up his mind. He grabbed the files and his cane and quickly rushed to the window. He unlocked it and opened it just as his parents walked into the room.

"Marcus? What are you doing?!" Seamus asked but he just gave them a sad look. This was most likely the last time he'll ever see his parents, but he had to save his friends!

Then he Disapparated out the window.

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	113. Chapter 113

**Sorry for not posting in so long school has been HELL! No excuses though! ONE WITH THE SHOW!**

* * *

 **One Week Later: Diagon Alley**

"Stop wasting my time!" Marcus shouted at the young dark wizard he had pinned against the wall. He had been shaking down wizards for the past week to figure out where Marrow was and what he had done with Sam.

The wizard, who couldn't have been more than twenty, stuttered "Look I couldn't figure out-" he was cut off when Marcus pushed his arm against his throat and his wand was put against his temple.

"Get out of here and don't let me ever see your face again or you'll regret it!" Marcus threatened. The man nodded and Marcus threw him to the ground, he got to his feet and took off running. Marcus sighed, he was getting nowhere with his investigation. It looked like he needed to do this himself, he quickly pulled his hood up and started down into Knockturn Alley. He could feel the Polyjuice Potion he had acquired from a friend in case he needed to make a quick getaway. It had no hair in it that was so he could pick a random wizard to disguise himself instead of a known one.

Over the last week he had been staying at various safe houses but making sure the Order didn't know he was there, they were looking for Marcus just as much as they were Harry Potter. He made a quick turn and caught sight of a couple Death Eaters and turned just as they walked by.

"Can't find him, Lestrange thinks he's in the forest. Sent Scabior and Greyback to find them." one of them said and Marcus gulped, he knew they must be talking about Harry. Marcus saw a dark wizard alone at a corner and decided he was isolated enough for a shakedown that wouldn't draw attention.

He walked over and the guy turned, Marcus recognized him as Albert Runcorn one of the Minsitry officials under Pius. He was responsible for investigating families that might have muggle-born blood.

"Dine?" he said but Marcus flicked his wand and his mouth shut and he looked concerned that he couldn't open it. Marcus grabbed his arm and shoved him into a narrow alley that was completely deserted.

"I should have known someone like you would take his side. You always were a bully Albert." Marcus said as he pressed his wand against the mans throat. He snapped his fingers and his mouth separated so he could take a few deep breaths.

"Look kid, I'm not scared of you...what do you hope to accomplish?" he asked with a smirk. Marcus matched it before he flicked his wand and a cut formed across Runcorns cheek and Marcus punched him in the gut and threw him to the ground.

"I want to know where Salvius Marrow is and what he did with Sam Millegan!" Marcus demanded as Runcorn started to get up but Marcus planted his boot in Runcorns back and knocked him back to the ground. Runcorn growled and swiped his leg knocking Marcus away, he grabbed his wand but Marcus grabbed his arm and twisted it. He pressed his wand against Runcorns back "Have you ever been burned by dragon fire? Unless you answer my questions I will make sure you never forget the feeling!" Marcus threatened.

Runcorn struggled but he knew he couldn't move from his position without getting his arm broken in every place. He sighed "Look kid, last I heard Salvius was in London. He is commissioned to the Parliament Building. My guess is to kill any Aurors that are trying to warn the Lords. I don't know everything kid, now are you going to let me go?!" he said through gritted teeth.

Marcus was about to let him go but then he remembered who this man was, a high ranking official under a puppet Minister ruled by Voldemort. He pointed his wand at his head "Obliviate." he said and Runcorn went stiff and Marcus pushed him to the ground and walked off. He had Marrows location and he was going to get answers, even if he had to rip them out of Marrow bit by bit.

He was leaving Knockturn when a hand landed on his shoulder, he turned and came face to face with a very familiar person.

Draco Malfoy.

"Dine? What are you-" Marcus grabbed him by his shirt collar and Disapparated with him. He appeared above Gringots holding Malfoy over the ledge of the roof. He looked terrfied as he grabbed the older boys arm out of desperation.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't let go of you and let gravity finish it?" Marcus asked angrily. He knew that Draco was a Death Eater and that his parents were in Voldemorts inner circle.

Malfoy gasped in fright "I...I-I don't want any kind of trouble!" he said fearfully.

"No trouble? So I should just forget everything you've done? Knocking me to the ground when my leg was broken? Trying to hurt me when your father lost his job? Trying to hurt Potter for years? Your family terrorizing mine? What exactly were you expecting? The Ministry is gone! I could drop you and expect no repercussions!" Marcus spat but he saw the genuine fear in Malfoys eyes and realized something.

He had become just as horrible. Here he was threatening wizards and dangling one over a rooftop out of vengeance. He pulled Malfoy over the ledge and took a step away from him "I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act so harshly."

Malfoy took a few more steps away from the ledge and nodded "Look...I overheard the conversation. You're looking for Marrow right?" he asked and Marcus froze. Should he be honest? Malfoy was a Death Eater and they can't be trusted. Malfoy held his hands up "Don't answer that if you don't want to. If you were, I would say that he has a serious temper and I've seen him fight. You need to get in close to him and take him out before he attacks. I know you are a strong fighter and you beat him before but if he kidnapped Samuel then he's probably expecting you so he's on high alert." he explained.

Marcus didn't say anything as he pulled out his Polyjuice Potion. Malfoy nodded before quickly ripping out one of his hairs and handing it to Marcus. Marcus hesitantly took the piece of DNA from Draco and put it into the potion to complete it.

Draco started to walk away "Hey..." Marcus shouted and Draco turned. Marcus looked at his potion "Why are you helping me?" he asked because he really could not figure it out. Malfoy didn't owe him anything, they were never even friends, so why did he just help Marcus?

The blonde boy shrugged "Sometimes, you are raised to believe something. You think that it's true your whole life and everyone says that it's wrong. You think those people are idiotic and dumb, until you're actually put in the position that tests how you truly feel about those types of people. Honestly if I could go back and see Granger again...I'd apologize for everything. That's why I helped you Dine, I can't do anything but _you_ can." he explained.

Marcus nodded and Draco disapparated off the roof top. Marcus closed the Polyjuice potion and stared at the setting Sun.

Time to confront Marrow.


	114. Chapter 114

**Sorry for not updating in so long. Life is a pain my fellow peeps! Anyway! On with the show!**

* * *

 **London**

Marcus entered the grounds of the British Parliament and found it lacking any security. He frowned, he expected there to be at least some sort of security force with all the Lords meeting. He walked up to the side entrance of the building where a bunch of tourists were taking pictures. He put on a cap to hide his face as the group of Americans chatted, being around them...it reminded him of Daniel and in turn made his heart clench. He missed him, he wanted to save him, but the problem was he had no idea where he was.

"Hey buddy? You a Brit?" one of the guys asked, Marcus looked up to see the group of ten Americans looking at him. They were all young adults Marcus noted maybe five years older than him. He nodded to the mans question and he looked around "Shouldn't there be some kind of security detail here or something I mean we haven't seen anyone here and it's a little unnerving dude." he said which shocked Marcus since he had been thinking the exact same thing.

"I'm nineteen...how would I know any of that?" Marcus asked and the guy shrugged before the group walked off. Marcus shook that weird interaction out of his mind as he entered Parliament, he had to resist the urge to be awestruck at the magnificent and beautiful building he was in. He had to find Marrow! He walked up a set of stairs and looked for any signs of Marrow but the building was huge and he was just one person. It was like finding a needle in a haystack, he had no idea where to possibly begin.

He had just finished searching an office when he heard a door slam in the distance. He peeked out into the hall and saw a man walking away, he was wearing a suit and looked like some kind of secret service. He sighed in relief "Excuse me!? Sir?!" Marcus shouted as he ran down the hall. The man turned and stared at him and Marcus froze...

Corban Yaxley, the new Head of Magical Law Enforcement!

Marcus stopped as Yaxley snarled and drew his wand "Dine, I was hoping I'd be the one to finally kill you!" he said as he fired a curse. Marcus quickly dodged it and tried to open a door but it was locked, he saw Yaxley fire another curse and he backed up and before he could even move the door in front of him flew open and someone ran out and tackled him. They went through another door as Yaxley fired at them. The mysterious man waved his hand and the door slammed shut and locked itself.

"Are you insane!?" the man said and Marcus recognized that voice, the man in front of him was the same American that he had talked to outside.

"You?!" they both said at the same time "Who are you?" Marcus demanded to know. They heard rushing footsteps and multiple voiced coming there way, the two men got up and ran through another door and kept running to try and lose the Death Eaters.

"My name is James, I'm with MACUSA! We were sent to try and help any way we can! Who are you?! Because the way I see it you just blew my cover!" He said angrily and Marcus scoffed. Was he for real?!

"I blew your cover?! You have the subtlety of an elephant! Instead of opening the door to let me in you open the door and tackle me into a room. Very American I must say." Marcus said and James glared at him as they opened a door into another hallway that was clear. They ran down some stairs where they saw the door opening "Back back back!" Marcus hissed pushing James against the wall as Marcus looked below them.

Yaxley walked in looking angry with Salvius Marrow and Albert Runcorn in tow, roughly fifteen Death Eaters were with them. Yaxley turned to his men "Runcorn? Get back to the Ministry and make sure you double security! I don't want anyway in or out without my knowledge. Understood?!" He demanded and Runcorn nodded before leaving. Then he turned to Marrow "That idiotic Dine boy is here! I am so sick and tired of that wretched family being thorns! Find him! Kill him! I swear if I hear that he survived I will burn you alive!" he shouted.

"Yes sir!" Marrow said as Yaxley walked out with five of the Death Eaters. Marrow scowled "Fan out, find the kid! If you do see him bring him alive! He owes me a rematch." he ordered and all of the Death Eaters drew wands and split up in pairs.

Marcus saw two of them ascending the stairs "Go go go go!" Marcus said pushing James down the hall. They ran as fast as they could until they heard someone hiss they turned and saw a girl waving them into the room. It was one of the girls from the tour. They quickly ran in and Marcus counted all ten of the tourists holding wands and talking strategy before they all stopped and looked at James and Marcus.

"Guys, he's one of the good guys. This is...what was your name anyway?" he asked. Marcus quickly introduced himself "Right, anyway we are outnumbered! Now our mission is to protect the Lords and help the British Government however we can. Any plans guys?" James asked as he walked over to his comrades.

They started talking and Marcus looked out the door and saw that the coast was clear. He shut the door and tried to get his breathing under control, he had forgotten how terrifying Marrow could be, he had no trouble doing dirty work and right now that dirty work was to kill him. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jumped as he turned and found James "We have a plan. If you want, we could really use your help." he asked. Marcus got his breathing under control and nodded, James smiled "So that guy down there, the leader. You seem to know him, what do you know about him." he asked as they sat down.

"Salvius Marrow. He's an 'Auror' for the Ministry." Marcus started making sure to using quotations around his job "Before the Ministry fell he was known for his temper and how much he hated muggle born wizards. The issue now is that he doesn't have to keep that ideal a secret. He's been terrorizing whoever he wants since Scrimgeour took office. Now with a puppet Minister he has free reign. That man down there that was ordering him around? That was Corban Yaxley, his boss and he has the same views as Marrow. Together they are practically killing as many muggle borns as possible." Marcus explained and when he was finished James looked spaced out.

"Hello? Did you hear me?" Marcus asked as he snapped his finger in his face and finally James gulped hard.

"You said...that the Ministry fell? A Puppet Minister?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Marcus nodded "Yes Pius Thicknesse, why?" he asked and James whimpered a little.

"We...We had no idea...we told the Ministry we were coming. We said that we were coming to help end the threat." James said putting his face in his hands. Marcus gasped and his stomach felt like he had swallowed a bag of rocks. Of course MACUSA didn't know the Ministry had completely fallen under Death Eater control yet! They made sure that it was quiet and swift! Now the Death Eaters had the advantage!

Marcus opened his mouth just as the door exploded.

A bunch of curses shot through the smoke and hit two of the MACUSA wizards, killing them. The rest of them drew their wands and started firing back at the Death Eaters. Marcus and James drew their wands as another MACUSA agent was killed, he aimed at the wall just next to the door " _Bombarda!_ " he shouted and the wall exploded and he heard a bunch of shouts and grunts. He ran out and four Death Eaters were lying on the ground, he looked down the hall as a number of voices were heard. "We gotta go! Now!" Marcus said as a Death eater rounded the corner. He fired the Knockback Jinx and sent him into the wall, meanwhile the rest of the MACUSA agents ran down. There were only seven left and five Death Eaters but that can easily be changed if the Death Eaters are quicker.

They all ran into a large hall and Marcus froze at the sight.

Marrow standing there with Sam Millegan in his arms, a wand to Sams throat. The rest of the Death Eaters were standing behind him with their wands aimed at him.

Everyone stopped as Marrow grinned "Hey pipsqueak! Long time no see! How you been?" he asked with a grin. Marcus looked at Sam and he had a few cuts on his face but he could see the relief in his eyes. He was happy to see his friend again, he had hope now. Marcus was going to make sure he saved him no matter what.

"Let him go Marrow, he has nothing to do with this!" Marcus ordered but Marrow just chuckled as he pressed the wand farther against Sams neck.

"On the contrary, see...you humiliated me kid. You took my wand! Luckily I have a new one, Yaxley was nice enough to give me Scrimgeours old wand since he won't need it anymore." he said chuckling. Marcus glared at him as Marrow turned to his men "Kill them all." he ordered and Marcus jumped out of the way, as did James as the agents and Death Eaters opened fire on each other.

Marcus could only watch in horror as the MACUSA agents were slowly murdered and while most of the Death Eaters of were killed as well the MACUSA agents were all killed with one Death Eater remaining. Marcus looked out into the hall and saw the Death Eater aim at him and then James fired a curse and hit the man in the chest, sending him to the ground. Marcus let out a breath as James helped him up, they smiled at each other only for a green flash to strike James in the back. His smile turned to a gasp as he fell to his knees and then dropped dead in front of Marcus his hand still tightly clutching Marcus' hand. He was shaking as he looked at the now dead man in front of him, he turned to see Marrow running with Sam struggling in his arms to break free.

A violent and extreme feeling of anger overwhelmed Marcus as he ran down the hall after the Auror and his friend. He was barely able to keep up as he chased them through the building. Finally he turned a corner and glanced through a window, he had made his way to the other side of the building. He was looking at the Thames now and he couldn't admire the view because he had to save his friend and end this once and for wall. He turned and Marrow had his wand aimed at Marcus " _AVADA KEDAVRA!_ " he shouted and Marcus dropped into a slide with his foot raised, the spell flew over Marcus as he kicked Marrow in the knee. The man shrieked in pain and anger as he let go of Sam and fell to the ground. Marcus got up and grabbed Sam and started running, they were almost at the corner when suddenly Sam started screaming in agony. Marcus fell along with Sam as he continued to scream his head off, he looked back and saw Marrow leaning on a table, pointing his wand at Sam.

The Cruciatus Curse!

Marcus scowled and waved his wand causing papers and furniture to fly in front of Marrow causing him to lose his concentration. Sam stopped screaming but was whimpering as he laid on the ground. Marcus stood in front of Sam as Marrow regained his footing and glared daggers at the young man. Marrow smiled through the pain he was in "Finally...let's end this shall we?" Marrow asked before he shouted a curse and Marcus fired one back. Their wands connected and the hallway rumbled and paintings were ripped apart at the force of their wands. Marrow laughed but Marcus focused all of his rage and anger towards the man and held his ground. Marrows laughing subsided as he noticed Marcus not backing down or even flinching as he stared the Auror down. As the duel continued Marrow started to sweat but the glare on Marcus never faltered as he started to walk forward, pushing Marrow back and down the hall. Marrow was no longer smiling he had a look of worry on his face as Marcus continued forward.

"Now hang on a second kid!" Marrow shouted over the roar of the duel. Marcus wasn't listening he was done listening, he hated this man, he hated everything about him. He was a cruel and foul man who only looked out for himself, he would hurt and kill anyone that had crossed him slightly. He hated him!

Marcus dropped his arm and the spells stopped as Marrow stared at him in bewilderment at his strength and tried to catch his breath. Marcus wanted to kill him, he wanted to using the Killing Curse on Marrow but he looked at the man and felt only pity. What kind of life does this man have when he has nothing but hatred and violence in his heart? If Marcus killed him he would be just the same regardless of his reason.

"You're done." He said softly but with enough anger to bring fear into Marrows eyes. Marcus stomped on Marrows wand and shattered it, then he leaned forward and Marrow flinched. He opened his jacket and found Sams wand right where he suspected and took it before he turned and walked back down the hall.

He found Sam leaning against the wall breathing heavily, Marcus knelt down and handed him his wand, Sam quickly pulled Marcus into a hug "Th-Thank you! Thank you Mark! You saved me!" he said softly. Marcus gave him a smile before helping him up. Sam looked over his shoulder and gasped, Marcus turned to find Marrow holding a sword and bringing it down on the two. Marcus grabbed Sam and they both dove to the ground as Marrow swiped the sword and missed. Marcus looked up and saw Marrow glaring at him and for a second, holding that sword, Marcus didn't see Marrow he saw Cassius. He saw the man that ruined his family, tortured his friends parents, tortured _him_ , killed Caleb Montgomery, killed his grandmother, killed his pet, ruined him!

Marcus couldn't think as he raised his wand...

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!_ " he screamed and a green flash flew from his wand and struck Marrow with such force he was propelled backwards and slammed into a window, shattering it. The man flew through the air down into the Thames and out of sight. Marcus only heard muffled sounds and ringing in his ears as he stared at where the corrupt Auror once stood. He felt someone grab him and pull him to his feet but he couldn't register anything, finally his hearing returned and he blankly looked over at Sam who was screaming his name.

"We gotta go! Mark!? Can you hear me?!" he shouted, Marcus nodded and suddenly his senses came back. He realized where he was, what had happened, and who was with him, he pulled Sam into another hug which he returned happily.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Marcus said smiling, Sam smiled too as they pulled apart.

"So am I, you...you just cast an Unforgivable Curse though. I never thought you'd be able to do it." Sam said amazed and Marcus couldn't agree more. He had never felt so much anger and pain before, the thought of Cassius legitimately made his blood boil.

Marcus took a deep breath "Come on! Let's get you back to my house. Keep you safe while I find the others." he said grabbing Sams hand but he pulled back a little.

He looked back and saw Sam staring at him "I...I actually know where Anna is. I can help." he said sadly as if the place where she was was the worst place in the world.

Marcus nodded "First let's get out of here." he said and Sam nodded in agreement.

Then they Apparated away.

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